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But the budget still has a $1 billion deficit, and North Coast legislators warned that the budget agreement won't cure the state's problems.
“These are difficult economic times that demand courage from elected officials, including those in the Legislature,” said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Both Republicans and Democrats stepped up to the challenge, and I want to thank the legislative leaders and the entire Legislature for passing this difficult but necessary budget solution that cuts state spending, reforms government so that it runs more efficiently and does not raise taxes.”
He added, “Our job is not over, and I will continue to work with the legislature to move California forward, to stimulate our economy and create jobs and to enact additional reforms that will make government more cost-effective for the taxpayers.”
With a $25.1 billion budget shortfall plaguing the state, the Legislature approved 31 bills as part of a budget package that, according to the governor's office, includes $15.9 billion in cuts – $9.4 billion in education, $785 million in corrections, $1.6 billion in general government, $820 million in state employee compensation and $3 billion in health and human services.
The Legislature vetoed $1.1 billion in fund shifts, including Cal Fire's interagency agreement with the Legislature, $3.5 billion in revenue proposals and $1.4 billion in estimated savings that would have realized by delaying state payroll and health premiums.
Most significantly for local agencies, legislators vetoed suspending Proposition 1A, which protects local government revenues.
Legislatures also voted against taking a loan from the State Highway Account and other loans and shifts, such as one that would keep open state parks.
The California State Parks Foundation reported Friday that there is an $8 million cut slated for the state's Department of Parks and Recreation, which could result in the closure of between 30 and 50 state parks.
Another $2.3 billion was realized in reforms, including $510 million in 2009-10 for CalWorks, $300 million in 2009-10 and $4.2 billion in 2012-13 by stopping automatic funding increases and cost of living adjustments, $526 million 2009-10 and $2.27 billion in 2012-
2013 by reforming In-Home Supportive Services. Information technology reforms are expected to accelerate tax revenues by more than $160 million over five years and Medi-Cal reforms that are estimated to lead to savings of $1.8 billion beginning in 2012 through 2013.
In all, the budget found $24.1 billion in cuts, putting it just short of addressing the state's full deficit, according to the governor's office.
First District Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) said Friday that he was relieved that the state now has a budget, and can start paying its IOUs and improve the state's credit rating.
Chesbro said it would be wrong to call the new budget a permanent solution.
“It has too much borrowing and it postpones too many payments,” he said. “Too many people will be hurt by cuts: not just children, but also the poor and the aged. All Californians will feel the effects of these cuts.”
He said he wasn't willing to wait for months for a better budget. More tough choices likely are ahead if the country's economy doesn't improve, Chesbro added.
North Coast Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) said the budget reflects the reality of just how volatile the revenue picture is in California.
“This budget revision was full of tough decisions,” she said. “Over the last five months, we have slashed state spending by more than $30 billion. The cuts we’ve made have been difficult for our schools, our children, higher education, public employees, public transportation, and the frail and elderly.”
She said the budget protected the minimum levels of education funding that Californians sought through Proposition 98, so that children can still receive a public education that prepares them to enter the workforce. CalWorks and Healthy Families also survived, 80 percent of parks funding was restored and IHSS remains largely intact.
Wiggins said the Assembly rejected the oil drilling bill, and the local gas tax bill also failed, which shaves off more than $1 billion off the deficit reduction effort. She said the governor could make up the the remaining deficit by line item vetoes of other services.
“We will continue to challenge the governor to tell Californians why he believes that initiatives like the decimation of social services are preferable to capturing additional revenue through the closing of corporate tax loopholes, imposing an oil severance tax, or implementing an independent contractor withholding plan to increase current tax compliance,” Wiggins said.
Local officials said this week they are still analyzing what the impacts of the deal will be on county and city governments and services.
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Last month, Linda Suzan Holloway was convicted of felony elder abuse and inflicting great bodily injury, with a strike enhancement for a previous robbery, according to Colusa County District Attorney John Poyner.
Colusa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Thompson sentenced the 56-year-old Holloway to three years for elder abuse, which was doubled to six years due to the strike enhancement, with five years for the great bodily injury charge, Poyner said.
Holloway's sentence comes nearly three years after 76-year-old William Lowe was found dead in his Colusa home, Poyner explained.
Lowe and Holloway were romantically involved, and Poyner said Holloway – a licensed vocational nurse – also served as Lowe's caregiver.
Poyner said their relationship was filled with violence that took place both in Lake and Colusa counties.
The Lake County District Attorney charged Holloway with assault with a deadly weapon – in this case, two butcher knives – for a Sept. 27, 1999, assault on Lowe, according to court records.
Poyner said Holloway stabbed Lowe 14 times in that case. Despite that fact, Lowe begged not to have her sent to prison. That charge couldn't be used as a strike in the case, Poyner said.
Because of state rules, Lowe was able to keep Holloway as his caregiver despite the violence and criminal cases, Poyner said. In the mean time, she arranged to cut him off from his family.
On the night of July 26, 2006, Holloway was arrested for driving under the influence in Colusa County, Poyner said.
After getting out of jail the following day she went to Lowe's home and found his body. Poyner said she attempted to take an overdose afterward.
But the autopsy – which Poyner had reviewed by two separate pathologists – revealed that Lowe had bruises on his chin and head, and that he suffered from broken ribs.
The medical examination found that Lowe died of a heart attack. Poyner originally had charged Holloway with homicide and wanted to be able to prove that the heart attack was induced by an assault, which the pathologists' reports suggested.
However, Poyner said that everything that could go wrong with the case did, including the pathologist missing his court date and losing the microslides that Poyner wanted to use to discuss the heart attack's cause.
The result was that he didn't have the evidence to prove Lowe's heart attack had been induced by the assault, said Poyner.
“It was a nightmare case to do,” he said.
Lowe, who owned a taxi company, didn't have much money. Poyner said Holloway was found to have some of Lowe's possessions but Poyner didn't have enough evidence to pursue charges of theft.
Holloway told investigators three or four different stories about what happened between her and Lowe during their last encounter. Poyner said each story included more physical contact between the two.
Finally, she told one of Poyner's investigators, “When I left I hit him like a linebacker.”
In the interim, while the case was working its way through the courts, Holloway was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol and received five years probation in February of 2008, Lake County Superior Court records show.
Poyner said of the case involving Lowe's death, “It's one of the screwiest cases I've ever tried.”
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The rave, with an estimated 100 people taking part, was reported on the night of July 18 to the US Forest Service, said Capt. Julie Lombard of the Forest Service's law enforcement branch.
Lombard said the event was discovered near Lake Pillsbury on land owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
The rave began July 16, said Lombard. During that time, Forest Service officers made periodic walk-throughs at the event.
They made one arrest for possession of the drug Ecstasy – commonly used at raves. Lombard didn't have details about that arrest.
She said citations also were issued for off-highway vehicles, seat belts, possession of guns and ammunition, and possession of marijuana.
However, because the event was taking place on private land, Lombard said Forest Service officers didn't have the authority to shut it down.
Instead, on Sunday morning, they notified PG&E.
PG&E spokesperson Jana Morris confirmed that a company employee received a call for the Forest Service at 10 a.m. Sunday.
She said when PG&E employees got to the scene, they found a few people picking up trash and cleaning up.
No damage was reported and Morris said the company didn't know who had organized the event.
The concern for the company now is not having a repeat performance. “We have been working with the Lake County Sheriff's Office to identify a method to prevent it from happening in the future,” Morris said.
They're considering improving signage in the area to emphasize that the land is privately owned, Morris said.
Morris said the company neither condones trespassing or the kind of event that took place. “That's not an activity that we support.”
If people find suspicious activity taking place on PG&E land, Morris said they can report it by calling the company at 1-800-691-0410.
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The fifth-annual Lake County Wine Adventure, a two-day passport event, will be held Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This year’s Lake County Wine Adventure is once again being hosted by the Lake County Winery Association.
Lake County is part of the North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), which also encompasses Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Within Lake County, five other AVAs exist – Clear Lake AVA, Benmore Valley AVA, Guenoc AVA, and the recently approved Red Hills AVA and High Valley AVA.
Adventurous wine enthusiasts will have an opportunity to discover “wine with altitude” and taste the reason why Lake County – with a grape-growing history that extends back to the mid-19th century – is fast becoming known for its award-winning wines, ultra-premium winegrapes, resort-style wineries, and friendly tasting rooms.
Throughout the weekend, “wine adventurers” will taste wines from five of Lake County’s six distinct viticulture areas (AVAs) as they visit participating wineries, including: Ceago Vinegarden and Tulip Hill Winery in Nice; Brassfield Estate Winery in High Valley; Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery, High Valley Vineyard, and Noggle Vineyards & Winery in Clearlake Oaks; Villa La Brenta in Clearlake; Gregory Graham Winery, Ployez Winery, Terrill Cellars, and Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyards & Winery in Lower Lake; Langtry Estate & Vineyards and Off the Vine at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown; Moore Family Winery on Cobb Mountain; Kelseyville Wine Co./Dusinberre Cellars, Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, Steele Wines, Inc., and Wildhurst Vineyards in Kelseyville; Shed Horn Cellars, Sol Rouge Vineyard & Winery, and Zoom Wines will be offered at Lake County Wine Studio, a multi-winery tasting room and wine bar located in the town of Upper Lake; Bell Hill Vineyards will be offered at Focused on Wine, a wine bar located in downtown Kelseyville.
Adventure tickets may be purchased online at www.lakecountywineries.org for $30 each. Each ticket entitles the holder to wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres at each winery, as well as a logo wine glass, wine tasting booklet and winery map.
Several of the wineries also will offer barrel tastings, winery tours and entertainment. Event-goers may leave their adventure tickets with the last winery they visit to be entered into a raffle for several prizes.
Event organizers promote responsible hospitality and encourage all participants to designate a driver.
For more information, call 800-595-WINE, (707) 355-2762 or visit www.lakecountywineries.org .