Community Your health: FORUM sports digest Ask Dr. Gott Our readers write .............Page 6 ..............Page 3 ...................................Page 4 INSIDE Mendocino County’s local newspaper World briefly The Ukiah ..........Page 2 Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy with showers 7 58551 69301 0 TUESDAY Jan. 10, 2006 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 16 pages, Volume 147 Number 276 email: [email protected] AFTERMATH OF THE FLOODS Local reps express skepticism on Hoping to reopen in Hopland governor’s budget Businesses still Schwarzenegger’s have a lot budget due out Governor of work to do By JAMES FAULK starts lining Eureka Times-Standard By LAURA CLARK The up support The Daily Journal proof of By HARRISON SHEPPARD It will be months before The Keg in the pud- MediaNews Group Hopland will reopen -- if it does -- and ding will at least a week before neighboring Sacramento Bureau be in this SACRAMENTO - In store, Hopland Farms, is able to wel- week’s come its customers back in. proposing a $222 billion budget, public works improvement However, a month or more will and in the likely pass before the gasoline pumps - and spending - blitz that bills that would reshape California, at Hopland Farms are replaced. get signed “It depends on money,” store Berg Gov. Arnold by a sud- Schwarzenegger last week owner, Balwinder Singh said Monday, denly con- noting it will cost $80,000 to $90,000 began a delicate political trite Gov. Arnold balancing act with few just to replace the existing pumps, Schwarzenegger. which are “all dead” due to the flood. allies at a time when he So said Assemblywoman needs them most. Singh, who owns the convenience Patty Berg, D-Eureka, about store/gas station with his brother and a Faced with sagging pop- Schwarzenegger’s plans in his ularity among voters and a cousin, said they are looking at a total State of the State address, loss of almost $300,000. re-election bid just 10 which included a number of months away, he has alien- And they do not have flood insur- issues that are traditionally ance. ated his base of conserva- Democratic -- like raising the tive support with his spend- Singh said he has applied for a loan, state’s minimum wage. and he hopes the county or FEMA can ing and borrowing plans. “The governor realized Even many Democrats, help. Meanwhile, a small group of after Nov. 8 that he’s a gover- hired help has been working daily already wary after last nor in a Democratic state,” year’s special election, with the store owners to clean things Berg said. up. think his plans are too State Sen. Wes Chesbro, D- ambitious for the state’s “My inventory ... everything is Arcata, gone. All the freezers are dead, the deli fiscal capabilities. agreed. “He needs to bring back case is dead, the pizza machine ... “He computer system, cash register -- all to the tent moderate swing seems to voters and moderate be reading Democrats,” said political from a dif- See HOPLAND, Page 16 analyst Sherry Bebitch ferent Jeffe of the University of script,” Southern California. “If he Chesbro can do that, that’s where said. the arithmetic is.” Chesbro Last Many fiscal conserva- year, he tives supported came out Schwarzenegger in the and attacked Democrats and 2003 recall and early in his public employee unions, but administration because of now he’s taking on issues that his strong anti-tax, pro- the people of California told business stance. But since him were important, Chesbro his special-election efforts said -- like funding public failed two months ago, he schools and removing traffic has alienated the right by bottlenecks. making several moves Berg said it was encourag- toward the middle, includ- Tyler Stoffel/The Daily Journal ing that the governor has ing hiring a Democratic Above, Jeanne Ansaldo boils water on the Keg’s outdoor barbeque taken on these issues and that to clean the bar after last week’s flood. The Keg lost its hot water in chief of staff and proposing the proof of the progress will a minimum-wage increase. the aftermath of the flooding. At left, inside the door of Hopland come with this week’s release Farms on Highway 101, the floor can still be seen covered in mud. Now, his proposal that of the governor’s proposed the state borrow $68 billion The door way will remain barred and the convenience store closed budget. for business for at least a week, the gas station will take more time during the next 10 years to As part of his speech, repair crumbling infra- to reopen. Schwarzenegger outlined a See GOVERNOR, Page 16 See STATE, Page 2 Willits schools must cut GRAND JURY REPORTS thousands from budget Fort Bragg law enforcers doing By CLAUDIA REED “Qualified” status by the school year. The Willits News Mendocino County Office of About $15,000 of that More cuts may be on the Education, must prove it can amount is already in the till, good job, with minor problems and more community policing. way for the Willits Unified pay the bills for the next three the result of greater-than- By BEN BROWN School District. years. anticipated Medical Methamphetamine and other drug use, The Daily Journal including alcohol, were found to be a major This time the axe could District administration had Administration Activities The Mendocino County grand jury has among other things - elimi- hoped to solve the problem by funds. The rest would come factor in most of the stations arrests, accord- issued its first two reports of the new ses- ing to officials at the substation. nate one teaching position, across-the-board reductions in from reduction of the work sion. trim the working hours of the medical benefits and cost-of- hours of the attendance clerk, Storage space in the evidence room was The grand jury took a look into the found to be inadequate and the jury suggest- attendance clerk and special living adjustments, but that a move that would save Mendocino County Sheriff’s Coast sector education specialist, and approach was firmly rejected $18,000 over a two-year peri- ed the room be expanded and upgraded in sub-station and the Fort Bragg Police accordance with its use. transfer some of the assistant by the Willits Teachers od. Department. The jury found both facilities to Association, which signed a For the 2007-2008 school Cells were found to be clean, although the superintendent’s hours to the be providing excellent service despite heavy county’s Office of Education. new contract with the district year, the proposal calls for regular heavy use the station sees was found At issue is the need to bal- in November. cutting another $212,000: work-loads, financial difficulties and techni- to require more cleaning than usually pro- ance the budget by either At the December school About $80,000 of that cal issues within both facilities. vided by regular janitorial services. increasing revenue or decreas- board meeting, amount would come from The jury found the coast sector to be Additional cleaning has been performed by ing expenses by about Superintendent of Schools eliminating one teaching posi- effectively covered by a force of 18 Sheriffs substation staff. $245,000 over the next two Steve Jorgensen presented a tion. Another $49,000 would personnel. The jury also found that, while clean, the school years. New revenue new list of possible cuts. He come cutting the position of Coast sector officer responses were gener- holding cells had features, such as handi- may come from the state, the stressed, however, that the list Special Education Program ally limited to dispatch, process serving capped rails, benches, air duct screens, wall federal government, or an is only tentative, a first state- Specialist in half. transportation of detainees and departmental panels and faucet handles, that could be used enrollment increase related to ment in what could be a long Expenditures for operational duties, according to the report. The station by inmates to hang themselves. new housing developments discussion. supplies would be reduced by averages 20 hours of overtime every two In it’s report the jury recommended that but there is no guarantee. In Jorgensen’s two-year plan $12,000. weeks. The jury found that hiring more per- janitorial services be scheduled more fre- the meantime, the school dis- calls for saving $33,000 sonnel would not reduce the amount of over- See JURY, Page 16 trict, which has been assigned beginning in the 2006-2007 See SCHOOL, Page 16 time, but would allow for increased hours 2 – TUESDAY, JAN. 10, 2006 DAILY DIGEST Editor: K.C. Meadows, 468-3526 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] The world briefly FUNERAL NOTICES [\ enjoyed entering baked Facklam of Hawaii, grand- goods, canned goods, fresh children Nancy Alito pounded by vegetables, dried vegetables Schufreider, John Capener, Democrats as hearings open Dow Jones industrials close and fruits in the local fairs. Angela Youngberg, Tony & above 11,000 for first time Mary was involved in TOPS Jonathan Facklam and 5 WASHINGTON (AP) — Judge Samuel and KOPS; she received great grandchildren. Alito absorbed hours of criticism from Senate since before 9/11 attacks recognition in the 1970’s for A visitation will be held Democrats at close quarters Monday, then NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones her work with the cancer on Wednesday, January 11, pledged at his confirmation hearings to do industrial average closed above 11,000 drive. She volunteered at 2006 at the Eversole what the law requires “in every single case” if Monday for the first time since before the Sept.