49ers extend Keep baby ON THE MARKET QB Alex Smith sleeping safely Guide to local real estate ..........Page A-6 ............Page A-3 ...................................Inside INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper .......Page A-2 Tomorrow: Partly cloudy; H 58º L 34º 7 58551 69301 0 FRIDAY Feb. 29, 2008 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 40 pages, Volume 149 Number 326 email: [email protected] Judge throws out Hamburg evidence Says deputy made marijuana charges will go forward the request of Hamburg’s attorney, 1334 Boonville Road. Deputy District Attorney Scott without the evidence seized by Keith Faulder, after finding that “There is no excuse at all for not McMenomey said Hamburg’s med- ‘intentional omission’ in Mendocino County sheriff’s deputies MCSO Deputy Raymond Hendry telling the magistrate about these ical marijuana recommendations seeking search warrant while serving a search warrant on made an “intentional omission” by recommendations,” Faulder said. would not affect probable cause for in marijuana case Oct. 25, 2007, thanks to a ruling not telling the judge who issued the “I think there is a huge probability the warrant because Hendry asked from Mendocino County Superior search warrant that Hamburg had that, if the magistrate had known this for the warrant based on the marijua- By BEN BROWN Court Judge James Luther. told deputies she had two medical information, he would not have na he saw growing in Hamburg’s The Daily Journal Luther threw out the evidence marijuana recommendations for the issued the search warrant,” Luther Laura Hamburg’s trial on felony from the search warrant Thursday at marijuana growing at her home at said. See HAMBURG, Page A-10 MENDOCINO COUNTY VINEYARD PRUNING CONTEST School district looks at possible Pruners compete for cash $3.5 million cuts By ROB BURGESS The Daily Journal What might A $3.5 million loss from the Ukiah Unified School be eliminated District budget could mean The following is a partial tighter belts and eventual lay- list of potential cuts the offs at county schools, the Ukiah Unified School UUSD board announced at District is considering in Wednesday’s special meeting. order to meet the state- The potential for layoffs required $3.5 million budget and project cancellations was reduction for the 2008/09 announced in response to school budget. The program Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneg- or position that is being con- sidered for elimination is ger’s 2008/09 budget propos- listed first, followed by the al, which would further projected potential savings: reduce the revenue allocated • Counselor II position, on a per-student basis. South Valley High School -- A list of proposed program $64,549 reductions was issued at the • Class sections at Ukiah meeting, along with a packet High School (one FTE each explaining the crisis. The list of Social Studies, English, included, among other things, Math, Spanish and Science; the potential elimination of: one period each of French, Journalism, Driver’s Edu- 15 class sections at Ukiah cation, Health, Creative High School, at least 17 pro- Writing, Intramural, Jewelry fessional and classified posi- and Pottery; two periods of tions and busing for out-of- ICE School Suspension and town sports. four periods Excel) -- Superintendent Lois Nash $560,921 expressed her frustration with • Five Middle School the situation and said that the teaching positions -- proposals were still in the $241,240 • Special Education MacLeod Pappidas/The Daily Journal exploratory stages. Jorge Duran competes in the final heat of the grapevine-pruning competition Thursday as judge “There needs to be some Resource Spec. teaching Peter Chevalier looks on with timer in hand. Duran took third place in the competition. communication with our state position -- $86,957 legislators,” she said. “If our By ZACK SAMPSEL Mendocino Winegrape children are our greatest See SCHOOL, Page A-10 The Daily Journal and Wine Commission resource we need to act like helped to play host it.” he 20-acre with Beckstoffer Sherry Sandoval, Ukiah take over,” she said. cabernet Vineyards as the Teachers Association presi- Brian Barrett, UUSD assis- sauvignon backdrop for the event dent, said she was hopeful tant superintendent, said pains block at that brings competitors staff reductions would be kept were taken to preserve highly Beckstoffer from all over the to a minimum, and only be regarded portions of the dis- TVineyards was like a enacted after every other trict’s budget. county to compete for scene from “Edward the $1,000 top prize. option was exhausted. “There’s some things you Scissorhands” But according to Betsy “The Ukiah Teachers don’t see on the list,” he said. Thursday as 25 Rodgers, project Association expects that, only “You don’t see class size contestants participated director with the after serious and thoughtful reductions. We still have high in the seventh annual MWWC, the budget and program analysis, school and middle school Mendocino County competition was about will our district consider the music. We still have library Vineyard Pruning more than money: it issue of lay-off notices,” she and computer lab. We still Contest. Top honors was a chance to said. have most high school went to Damian recognize the art and Cindy Plank, UUSD’s sports.” Maldonado, who beat hard work of the director of financial services, Nash said an e-mail address last year’s champion, Fourth-place winner Sergio Acevedo tackles a row of said the district would do had been established to allow laborers. unpruned vines during preliminary rounds of compe- Polito Martinez, to take “This really gives everything in its power to input on the budget crunch. the title. tition on the Beckstoffer cabernet sauvignon vine- meet the goal without outside Interested parties can send their With a perfect blue See PRUNING, yard. In the background, Miguel Maciel competes in intervention. thoughts on the subject to: sky above, the Page A-10 the same heat. “It’s painful for everyone, [email protected]. but we’re not going to let Rob Burgess can be reached someone come in here and at [email protected]. Mill Creek Project final EIR, Alternative A get county’s OK By ROB BURGESS conditions,” he said. “California Fish Upper Dam and Reservoir retained “I’ve stated before, if we go with The Daily Journal and Game were not particularly (Alternative C) and all dams and Alternative D, you’re going to see Usable water stores within the happy with the county’s perfor- BOARD OF SUPERVISORS reservoirs removed (Alternative D). me chained to those dams,” he said. county came one step closer to being mance. In 2006, CFG reorganized iment into the creek four years ago. Sanford said that the differences “This is a resource we cannot lose. I heightened Tuesday when the Mill and the county was reassigned to a “In December 2004, the Upper amongst some of the choices were think this is a good thing for the pub- Creek Project final environmental different region. I would like to point Dam base gate valve stuck open, and less defined than others. lic and it needs to continue.” impact report along with the choice out that the Region 2 Fish and Game water drained from the reservoir and “When you look at Alternative A, The board concluded the item by of Alternative A to mitigate sediment folks have been very cooperative. released a substantial amount of sed- the county would be required to open unanimously approving both the EIR release were both unanimously The EIR provides a to-do list for the iment into Mill Creek between the up additional acre feet of fish pas- and Alternative A for the mitigation approved by the Mendocino County county in reference to sediment Upper Dam and the Middle Dam,” sage,” he said. “That is the only dif- of sediment release. Board of Supervisors. release and the maintenance of the stated the EIR. ference between A and B.” Both the draft and the full EIRs on Roland Sanford, Mendocino dams.” The EIR laid out five options for Chairman and 2nd District the project can be viewed at the County Water Agency general man- Besides establishing Talmage action: no project, all dam structures Supervisor Jim Wattenburger said water agency’s Web site at ager, said the affirmation of the EIR water resources as a permanent sup- in place and restored reservoirs that for him, the distinctions between www.mendocountywa.com by click- was just another step in a process ply for Redwood Valley, one of the (Alternative A), all dams except the the various paths the board was pre- ing on the “Downloads” link. that has so far taken several years. project’s other main goals is to miti- Lower Dam in place and restored sented with were much more dramat- Rob Burgess can be reached at “This project began under tense gate for the unplanned release of sed- reservoirs (Alternative B), only the ic. [email protected]. A-2 – FRIDAY, FEB. 29, 2008 DAILY DIGEST Editor: K.C. Meadows, 468-3526 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] FUNERAL NOTICES [\ In 1969 he and his family a home surrounded by red- ers of Santa Rosa or the sense of the word. sisters, Manuel Quarles, moved to Los An- woods. Alzheimer’s Associ- Barbara came of a fami- Arba Quarles, Vena geles where he worked for “Papa Al” will be greatly ation. ly in which her father Simpson, Royce Quarles, Los Angeles missed by his loving [\ was a lifetime rancher and LR Blevins, and County Mental Health as a family. He is survived by her mother, Delva, Geneva Mann. She leaves Licensed Clinical his wife Kathryn of taught school in what is behind her broth- Social Worker.