CALENDAR..............PG 2 CLASSIFIEDS..........PG 10 LEGAL NOTICES.....PG 10
OPINIONS................PG 9 PUZZLES.................PG 9 SPORTS...................PG 5
Postage paid voting, other laws take effect in 2019
January 9, 2019
SINGLE C O PY
VOLUME: 12:02 ■ ISSUE: 399
County officials sworn in
75¢
PET OF THE WEEK "Cheddar"
SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
Former California Gov. Jerry Brown officially left office on Monday to become a permanent Colusa County resident, after signing more than 1,000 new laws during his last term, many of which take effect in 2019. A number of the new laws dealing with gun control, juvenile justice reform, overtime for agriculture workers, choice of gender identity on driver’s licenses, and a restriction on plastic straws went into effect on Jan. 1. Others, including the elimination of a cash bail system and the boardroom gender diversity mandate, will take effect later in the year. Among the new laws, Colusa County residents who vote by mail will no longer have to pay for postage, now that the cost to return a ballot has shifted from individual voters to the taxpayers. The new law works to ensure voting is free for all Californians by requiring that election officials include a return envelope with prepaid postage when delivering vote-by-mail ballots, election officials said. According to the legislative analysis, the new law is expected to cost about $5.5 million per election statewide. Colusa County Clerk-Recorder Rose Gallo-Vasquez said her department would soon begin working with postal officials to determine the best postal rate for prepaid postage, given that the county will not be able to utilize the same non-profit rate as an option for return ballots as they currently pay for outgoing ballots.
See BALLOT POSTAGE | PG 4
Talks begin to merge fire departments SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
The Colusa City Council and the Board of Directors of the Sacramento River Fire Protection District could begin talks this month to consolidate the two fire departments that serve in and around Colusa. Colusa Mayor Greg Ponciano, along with Councilman Dave Markss, will serve on the Fire Department Consolidation Committee to discuss the possible merger. The Sac River Fire board also appointed two of its members to the committee to represent the district. Sacramento River Fire Chief Jeff Winters and Colusa Fire Chief Logan Conley will also be included in the talks, Colusa City Manager Jesse Cain said. “We will start having meetings to see if there is a way to consolidate both fire departments into one,” Cain said. Although consolidating the two fire agencies has previously been whispered about, the announcement that official talks will soon begin was made public at the Colusa City Council meeting last month. Established in 1873 with 34 volunteers, Colusa Fire is the oldest fire department in Colusa County. The department is a combination of paid and volunteer personnel with a budget of about $730,000 a year, with revenue coming from property taxes, sales taxes, transient occupancy taxes, and other revenue.
See FIRE DEPARTMENT | PG 3
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THE NEXT FIVE DAYS Wed. Jan. 9, Colusa County Office of Education meets at 4 PM. Wed. Jan. 9, County Planning Commission meets at 9 AM. Will discuss Zoning Amendment #18-11-1, and a use permit for an existing duck club to reconstruct three existing cabins. Wed. Jan. 9, Colusa Area Little League sign ups will be held 5 PM to 8 PM.
SUSAN MEEKER / PIONEER REVIEW
Colusa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Thompson, left, administers the oath of office to first term District 1 Supervisor Merced Corona on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019.
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SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
olusa County officials raised their right hands on Monday and swore to discharge their duties to the best of their abilities. Colusa County Judge Jeffrey A. Thompson administered the oath of office in Colusa County’s Historic Courthouse to District 5 Supervisor Denise Carter, District Attorney Matthew Beauchamp, Sheriff-Coroner Joe Garofalo, Assessor Arnie Gross, Auditor Peggy Scroggins, Clerk-Recorder Rose Gallo-Vasquez, Superintendent of Schools Mike West, and Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Ufkes Olivera, who were reelected to their positions in the June 5 District Statewide Primary Election. Longtime Colusa County Treasurer Dan Charter, who was unable to be present for the well-attended public event on Jan. 7, was administered his oath in a separate ceremony. Supervisor J. Merced Corona, who was elected with nearly 60 percent of District 1’s support in the county’s only contested race of the June primary, also took the oath of office, one day before his first official meet-
ing of the Board of Supervisors. Corona, a retired law enforcement officer, has been preparing for duty by attending meetings since the election and studying the budgets and issues. He said he is looking forward to discharging his duties as a member of the elected legislative body of Colusa County. “I’m excited to get started,” Corona said. “We have a lot of things on the table right now, and a lot of things the county is dealing with. I’m just excited to be a part of it.” Corona said he is looking forward to representing his district (Arbuckle area) the best he can, and his goal is to be assessable to the people who voted him into office. Several returning officials spoke to their goals and challenges on Monday. Sheriff Garofalo said his primary goal is getting the Colusa County Jail project back on track. The county was awarded $20 million for the 96-bed, 26,600 square foot two-story facility, which will be built on the northeast portion of the existing Sheriff’s Office property. Construction was originally slated to begin last September, but fell behind.
See COUNTY OFFICIALS | PG 3
Thurs. Jan 10, Colusa Book Club meets at 6 PM in the Colusa Library Conference Room Thurs. Jan. 10, Colusa Library will host story time at 6:30 PM. Sat. Jan. 12, A Nite at the Races. Colusa Rotary hosts their annual fundraiser at 6 PM at the Colusa Fairgrounds. Sat. Jan. 12, Colusa County 4-H Presentation Day will be held at Princeton High School 8:30 AM to Noon. Sat. Jan. 12, Chicken in a Barrel Dinner will be held at the Parkside Methodist Church in Williams starting at 5 PM. Sat. Jan. 12, Catholic Ladies will host their annual Card Party and Luncheon at 11 AM in the St. Bernadette's Hall in Colusa. Mon. Jan. 14, Maxwell Parks and Recreation will hold a meeting at 8:30 PM. Tues. Jan. 15, Colusa Council meeting will be held at 6 PM.
For more events and details see COMMUNITY EVENTS | PG 2
Injured veterans enjoy hunting at Colusa Refuge
SUSAN MEEKER / PIONEER REVIEW
Marine Corps. Veteran Billy Bennett, left, and hunter Rick Lawrence, both of Roseville, show off the birds they bagged at the Colusa Refuge on Saturday, during California Water Fowls second local Veteran Duck Hunt Program. SUSAN MEEKER susan@colusacountynews.net
The California Waterfowl Association, a statewide nonprofit organization, took 15 disabled and Purple Heart veterans duck hunting on Saturday to provide them with an exceptional outdoor recreation opportunity fitting those who
served our nation. The CWA’s local Veteran Hunt Program at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is a joint effort with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. “I signed up, and luckily I was drawn for it,” said veteran Jeff Sibley, of Oakdale. “It was good hunting.”
Saturday was Sibley’s second duck hunt with CWA, although it was his first visit to Colusa. Sibley served eight years with the U.S. Marine Corps Infantry, out of Camp Pendleton. He received the Purple Heart for a gunshot wound he received in Afghanistan.
See VETERANS HUNT | PG 3