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Tobacco interests spent a total of $9.3 million on campaign contributions and lobbying in California during the 2009-10 election cycle and have spent nearly $100 million over the last decade, according to a new report by the Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing, a project of the American Lung Association in California.

“Big tobacco continues to use its vast financial resources for campaign contributions and lobbying expenditures to oppose bills and ballot initiatives that would benefit public health by reducing tobacco use,” said Jane Warner, president and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association in California.

“Tobacco Money in California Politics” shows that tobacco interests contributed more than $6.56 million to candidates and members of the California Legislature, constitutional officers and political committees and spent $2.76 million on lobbying expenditures during the 2009-10 election cycle.

The data used in producing “Tobacco Money in California Politics” is derived from the semiannual contribution reports and the quarterly lobbying reports filed by the tobacco interests with the Secretary of State that cover the period Jan. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2010.

It showed that, of the 122 state legislators, tobacco interests made campaign contributions to 59 members, or 48 percent, similar to the total from previous election cycles.

A searchable database of campaign contributions that the public can use to learn if their own state assembly member or senator received campaign contributions is available at www.Center4TobaccoPolicy.org/database.

A review of the database showed that Lake County's current state legislators – Assemblyman Wes Chesbro and Sen. Noreen Evans – have received no money from tobacco interests. Nor did previous North Coast legislators Sen. Patricia Wiggins or Assembly member Patty Berg.

The report also shows that 60 percent of the total contributions made during the 2009-10 election cycle were to political committees in support of Proposition 26 and in opposition to Proposition 25, which were both passed by California voters in the November 2010 general election.

Proposition 25 changed the vote requirement for passing a state budget from a two-thirds vote to a simple majority and Proposition 26 reclassified many types of fees as taxes, subjecting them to a two-thirds vote requirement.

In addition, Philip Morris USA Inc. spent more than $750,000 on lobbying in the second quarter of 2009 – April through June – a record amount for lobbying expenditures in one quarter by any tobacco interest over the last decade.

During those three months, the California Legislature voted on two budget bills that contained a tobacco tax increase and another tobacco tax bill that was moving forward in the legislative process.

“The numbers in this report are clear, Big Tobacco is spending to protect their vast financial interests in California,” said Paul Knepprath, vice president of advocacy and health initiatives, American Lung Association in California. “Despite the tobacco industry spending millions, smoking rates continue to drop and the state and local governments continue to pass policies that reduce tobacco’s impact on our state.”

A full copy of Tobacco Money in California Politics is available at www.Center4TobaccoPolicy.org/tobaccomoney. It also can be viewed or downloaded below.

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Tobacco Money in California Politics (2009-2010 Election Cycle)

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport woman was arrested for driving under the influence and child endangerment on Tuesday after she crashed her vehicle with her infant daughter in the car.

Sacha Shea Cooper, 30, was arrested for felony driving under the influence, driving with an expired driver license and felony child endangerment, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds.

At approximately 6:20 p.m. Tuesday Cooper was driving her 2004 Chevrolet Impala northbound on Highway 29 north of Highway 281/Soda Bay Road when she allowed her vehicle to drift across the center line, according to Reynolds.

As a result of going over the center line, Cooper's vehicle struck the left rear of a 2004 Saturn which was heading southbound on Highway 29, driven by 31-year-old Laura Ewing of Lakeport, Reynolds said.

Reynolds said the collision forced Ewing to go off the west roadway edge and into a ditch.

Ewing sustained minor injuries in the collision but was not transported to the hospital, Reynolds said.

Cooper also went off the west roadway edge onto a dirt shoulder, according to Reynolds.

Reynolds said Officer Dan Frederick and Officer Efrain Cortez responded to the scene.

He said Frederick contacted Cooper who was outside her vehicle with her 1-month-old daughter in her arms.

Cooper was subsequently arrested, Reynolds said.

Cooper’s daughter was not injured in the collision and was in a properly fitted, properly installed car seat. Reynolds said the infant was released to her father.

In addition to the charges of DUI, driving with an expired driver license and felony child endangerment, Cooper's jail booking sheet also recorded a misdemeanor bench warrant.

Cooper's bail was posted at $25,000. Jail records indicated she later posted bail and was released.

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – One man died and a second was wounded following a Wednesday evening shooting in Redwood Valley.

The shooting occurred shortly before 8 p.m. at the Bu Shay Campground in Redwood Valley, according to a report from Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

The names of the victims have not yet been released, and Smallcomb said suspects were still being identified.

Smallcomb said that at 7:50 p.m. Wednesday the Mendocino County Sheriffs Dispatch Center was contacted by employees at the campground regarding a shooting which had just occurred.

Deputies, along with the California Highway Patrol, Redwood Valley Fire, California Department of Forestry, REACH and and Cal Star air ambulances, proceeded to and arrived at space No. 8 at the campground, Smallcomb reported.

He said deputies learned that two people at the campsite had been shot.

A 40-year-old man was transported to Ukiah Valley Medical Center with life-saving efforts under way, but the man died from his injuries, Smallcomb said.

The second victim, reported to be in his 20s, was flown via air ambulance to an out-of-county hospital for a single gunshot wound to the upper torso. Smallcomb said that victim's medical condition was listed as critical but stable early Thursday morning.

Smallcomb said sheriff's detectives were investigating the incident and also were in the process of identifying at least three to four suspects responsible for the shootings.

At about 2:30 a.m. Lake County authorities issued an officer safety be on the lookout for a 33-year-old white male subject wanted in connection with the shooting.

The man was reported to be associated with a black Nissan sedan that contained three other white male adults. Officials said he was armed and dangerous, and last seen in Mendocino County at around the time of the fatal shooting.

Smallcomb said an autopsy of the fatal shooting victim is planned for Friday.

On Wednesday a bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced a bill in support of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program and, at the same time, sent a message to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who have blocked the program's implementation.

North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), Congress member Nan Hayworth, M.D. (R-NY) and Dan Lungren (R-CA) introduced the PACE Protection Act of 2011.

The PACE program – currently available in 27 states and the District of Columbia – allows property owners to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for their homes and commercial buildings – without any government subsidies or taxes. More important, it means lower utility bills for property owners and job creation in the hard hit construction industry.

“PACE promotes energy efficiency in ways that are good for our country, our economy, and our environment,” said Thompson. “It saves property owners money by lowering energy costs and, perhaps more important, creates jobs without taxes or government subsidies. Congresswoman Hayworth, Congressman Lungren and I are committed to protecting PACE for the future, which is why we introduced legislation to continue to allow property owners to finance innovative energy projects through these innovative, affordable, and responsible programs.”

The PACE Protection Act addresses adverse action taken by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and their regulators at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) which has prevented communities nationwide from harnessing PACE benefits.

The PACE Protection Act of 2011 is meant to protect PACE programs from federal overreach by the FHFA and allow them to continue reducing energy consumption, boosting our economy, and creating jobs, without mandates from the government or taxpayer funds.

“PACE programs in our states have allowed homeowners to make energy-saving modifications on their houses through a voluntary assessment on their own property, at no cost to local taxpayers,” said Hayworth.

“PACE programs create jobs and help Americans to conserve energy, saving on those costs and protecting our environment,” she added. “Unfortunately, interference by the Federal Home Finance Administration has prevented states from enabling all of their homeowners to take advantage of PACE. Our bill addresses the concerns of FHFA and facilitates participation by homeowners in every state with a PACE program, which will in turn promote conservation, energy savings, and job creation.”

With unemployment hovering around 9 percent, legislation that focuses on creating jobs at the local level all across America is paramount.

Independent studies have shown the benefits of PACE to be substantial to homeowners, the economy, the environment, and federal, state and local governments.

“My colleagues and I are fighting for a common sense program that would both increase the value of homes involved and help create jobs in our region. The time is now, more than ever to pass legislation that will accomplish this goal,” Lungren concluded.

SACRAMENTO – In an audit released Wednesday, State Controller John Chiang found a lack of internal control policies and procedures at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), putting millions of public dollars at risk of fraud and misappropriation.

“My auditors found the CDCR has grossly inadequate procedures in place for collecting overpayment of salaries and travel advances made through the agency’s office revolving fund,” Chiang said. “This is the latest in a series of agency audits conducted by my staff that point to the waste and abuse of state funds due to the lack of attention to collecting overpayments. Gov. Brown and I are working together to identify the causes of these problems and to protect public funds.”

In response to Chiang's report, Paul Verke, a CDCR spokesman, told Lake County News, “We agree with the recommendations in the audit report.”

Verke said CDCR's own internal audit launched last year identified many of the same issues that Chiang's office did.

“So it's not something that we take lightly and we've been working really hard to get it under control,” Verke said.

The CDCR review looked at records from July 1, 2009, through July 31, 2010.

The audit found inadequate collection efforts resulted in delays in collecting millions of dollars in overpayments for employee salary and travel advances.

Of the more than $6 million in outstanding receivables related to salary and travel advances, more than $4 million – or 65.6 percent – were outstanding for longer than 60 days, and $465,000, or 7.5 percent, had been outstanding for more than three years.

One employee who was terminated in May 2010 received a lump sum check for $14,950 from the office’s revolving fund to meet the time line for paying employees separating from state service.

But the audit found that CDCR did not take the steps necessary to offset the employee’s final check, resulting in the former employee receiving both a salary advance and a full, final check. Six months later, there still was no effort to recoup the overpayment of $14,950.

In another case, an employee received a salary advance of more than $8,000 in January 2008, plus a regular payroll check. As of November 1, 2010, almost three years later, the advance still had not been collected, even though the employee still works for CDCR.

The audit also found that serious internal control deficiencies put the agency at risk for fraud and abuse. CDCR was tardy or noncompliant in attempting to reconcile bank accounts to ensure the accuracy and completeness of recorded transactions.

As of June 30, 2010, the bank reconciliation of CDCR’s major account showed $27 million in unresolved funds on their bank balance, while CDCR’s records showed unresolved funds totaling more than $31 million on their book balance.

Without reconciling these funds, anyone who has access to the fund’s check stock could fraudulently issue checks with little chance of being detected.

In addition, although state accounting procedures require two authorized signatures for payments of more than $15,000, the Controller’s review found two separate checks exceeding that amount without dual signatures.

In another finding, the audit determined that CDCR used its revolving fund to spend more than the department’s appropriation under the State Budget.

While the majority of those payments appeared to be for legitimate purposes, the department has no legal authority to make such payments without an appropriation from the State Legislature.

As of Nov. 30, 2010, CDCR still had not received reimbursement for more than $3.5 million in payments made from its revolving fund prior to June 30, 2010.

In his response, CDCR Undersecretary for Administration and Offender Services Martin Hoshino said the agency agrees with the findings and already has implemented 22 of the 36 recommendations made by the controller.

In a July 5 letter to the State Controller's Office, Hoshino explained, “We have now prioritized the vigorous collection of outstanding debts,” succeeding in decreasing the outstanding balance by $2.2 million since November 1, 2010.

“We will continue in our efforts until we have surmounted the issues identified in this audit,” Hoshino said.

The Controller’s auditors will revisit CDCR in 12 months to assess the agency’s progress in implementing corrective actions.

CDCR is the state's largest agency, with 66,000 employees, Verke said.

Since taking office in January 2007, Chiang’s audits have identified more than $2.59 billion in waste, abuse and misspending of taxpayer dollars.

070511 CDCR Letter to State Controller(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src="http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();

Terry Newmyer will be vice president of Adventist Health as well as president/chief executive officer of the new Northern California Network. He will remain president and chief executive officer of the St. Helena Region. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Adventist Health reported Tuesday that it has created the Northern California Network as a way of addressing both growth and new business opportunities for its hospitals.

The new network includes St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, Howard Memorial Hospital in Willits, St. Helena Hospital Center for Behavioral Health, St. Helena Hospital Napa Valley, Ukiah Valley Medical Center (UVMC) and their service sites, according to Scott Reiner, executive vice president, chief operating officer and board chairman of the St. Helena Hospital region.

Terry Newmyer, currently president and chief executive officer of the St. Helena Region – a title which he will retain – assumes the title of vice president of Adventist Health as well as president/CEO of the new Northern California Network, with responsibilities for the five hospitals.

In addition to his current portfolio, Newmyer will focus on ensuring that patient care is well organized within the network.

This new strategic concentration will strengthen operations across the region, as the five hospitals collaborate and work toward a coordinated business model.

As president of the new network, Newmyer will spearhead the executive searches under way for the CEO positions at Howard Memorial Hospital and UVMC, which will report to him.

Bill Wing, senior vice president of Adventist Health, will continue to chair the boards for Howard Memorial Hospital and UVMC.

“Terry’s leadership of the St. Helena hospitals has been exemplary and their successes are well documented,” stated Reiner. “His guidance over the Northern California Network will allow us to expand services to communities throughout the region. Through business collaboration and care coordination, we will ensure patients experience excellence across the continuum of care.”

“I am pleased to begin working with the teams at Howard Memorial Hospital and UVMC,” said Newmyer. “I look forward to expanding Adventist Health’s footprint in the region.”

Before being appointed as president and CEO of the St. Helena region in 2009, Newmyer held key roles at Florida Hospital in Orlando.

Newmyer’s experience also includes being a named partner with KPMG’s National Strategy Practice where he delivered market strategy consultation to hospitals and payers nationwide. Prior to that, he served as senior vice president, corporate development, for Lakeland Regional Health System in St. Joseph, Michigan.

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