How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The incident that has garnered the Santa Rosa Democrat heavy criticism occurred during a joint hearing of the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications and Assembly Natural Resources committees on Aug. 6.
Rev. Robert Jones, government affairs director for the Sacramento-based California Association of Black Pastors and pastor of Oak Park United Methodist Church, was giving testimony during a hearing to discuss global warming.
He asked the committee to consider input from members of ethnic and lower-income communities when addressing global warming and emissions standards. When new fees are implemented to address such issues, Jones said those communities suffer the most.
“Excuse me, but it think your arguments are bull****,” Wiggins said.
Committee Chair Sen. Christine Kehoe immediately interjected and began talking with Jones, keeping the hearing moving.
A clip of the hearing and Wiggins' comment were posted on YouTube, and has generated nearly 36,000 hits.
Since then, Wiggins has sustained harsh criticism for her words.
She's also attempted to apologize to Jones. In an Aug. 12 letter to Jones she wrote, “I did not intend to be aggressive, disrespectful or vulgar. Unfortunately, my directness and poor choice of words may have left the wrong impression and were, in hindsight, inappropriate for a legislative hearing. Nor did I mean to be insensitive to the important role of the California Association of Black Pastors.”
In the letter Wiggins asked Jones for a second chance and an opportunity to personally meet with him to apologize for the incident.
David Miller, Wiggins' spokesman, said she immediately regretted her words and has attempted ever since the committee hearing to meet with Jones, to no avail.
Initially, Wiggins thought she had heard Jones say that he believed he was asking for minority-owned businesses to be exempt from the regulations, which Miller said she realized later wasn't what he said.
Wiggins at one point did have a meeting scheduled with Jones and some of his colleagues, but they didn't show up to the meeting or call to say they weren't coming, and have offered no response since, said Miller.
A call Lake County News placed to Jones' church was not returned.
Critics of the senator have seized on the opportunity to go after her. The California Republican Party reportedly sent out a news release with a link to the YouTube video.
Likewise, the Capitol Resource Institute launched a phone call and email campaign demanding Wiggins publicly apologize to Jones, saying she displayed “shocking contempt for the people she was elected to serve.”
“This type of behavior from an elected official is simply unacceptable,” Karen England, executive director for Capitol Resource Institute, said in a written statement.
Miller said he wouldn't offer an excuse for Wiggins' remark, which she herself feels is inexcusable.
It's an unfortunate situation, said Miller, considering Wiggins' strong belief in the kind of environmental justice Jones was seeking, that drafting environmental regulations should be an inclusive process.
Wiggins was elected to the state Senate in 2006. She previously represented the North Coast in the state Assembly.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:3}
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Juan Morales-Vasquez, 20, of Clearlake sustained major injuries that were not life-threatening in the single-vehicle collision, said California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.
Morales-Vasquez was driving a 1989 Nissan Pathfinder southbound on Butts Canyon Road near Oat Hill Road at about 4:18 p.m. Saturday when he went straight through a left curve in the road, losing control and rolling the vehicle, Garcia said.
Garcia said Morales-Vasquez was ejected from the Pathfinder, and later transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he was released to the hospital's care.
Vasquez-Morales is suspected of driving under the influence, said Garcia, with CHP planning to arrest him once he's released from the hospital.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LOWER LAKE – State and local firefighters moved quickly to suppress a fire that broke out along Highway 29 near Lower Lake Monday afternoon.
The fire reached approximately 182 acres, Cal Fire reported late Monday evening. Earlier in the day, acreage estimates had reached 300 acres, but officials said that number was scaled back due to better mapping.
Cal Fire's Incident Command Center reported that the fire was dispatched at 2:18 p.m.
The fire necessitated shutting down a portion of Highway 29 near Diener and Manning Flat as firefighters worked to contain it.
California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia said Point Lakeview at one point was being used as an alternate route. However, that road also was closed at about 3:16 p.m., with the fire reportedly cresting the ridge.
CHP reported shortly before 6 p.m. that Point Lakeview could be reopened. CHP reported that Highway 29 itself was reopened shortly after 9 p.m.
Cal Fire led the suppression effort, with five air tankers, three helicopters, 11 fire engines, six bulldozers and five hand crews, along with resources from local fire districts, including a five-engine strike team that was called for before shortly before 4 p.m.
Witnesses at the scene reported large Cal Fire air tankers were dropping retardant on the fire, with helicopters also making water drops.
The air tankers were released at 6:46 p.m., with the helicopters released by 7:30 p.m., according to reports from the scene.
Power lines were down at the scene, with some onscene reports indicating the possibility of a blown transformer.
Pacific Gas and Electric spokesperson Jana Morris said that 4,800 customers served by the company's Konocti power substation – serving areas including Kelseyville and Cobb – were out of power mid-afternoon.
The outage's cause, said Morris, appeared to be the downed power lines, but why the power lines had fallen was still being investigated.
She said at 2:35 p.m. PG&E received a call from a customer who reported a loud noise that they thought had come from a transformer, but Morris could not confirm Monday that a transformer had in fact blown.
All 4,800 customers had power restored to them by 5 p.m., Morris said. Cobb resident Roger Kinney reported that the power was off in Cobb about two hours.
Vehicles being routed onto Highway 175 to avoid the fire encountered a solo vehicle crash on Highway 175 near Cobb, which took place just after 4 p.m. and resulted in the vehicle and some nearby grass catching fire.
Cal Fire, which took the call, reported the fire was very small and quickly contained. The vehicle was destroyed. Minor injuries to the occupants were reported by CHP.
Officials with Cal Fire said late Monday that the 182-acre fire scene was still being mopped up. The downed power lines are believed to be a contributing factor, Cal Fire reported.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News reports
The county's preliminary July unemployment rate was 10.2 percent, up from the revised June rate of 9.5 percent and 1.9 percent above the year-ago, July 2007 rate of 8.3 percent, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's North Coast region office.
Mullins said that, at a 10.2 percent unemployment rate, Lake County ranked 47th among the State's 58 counties.
Some surrounding county rates included 10.5 percent for Colusa, 6.6 percent for Mendocino and 6.1 percent for Sonoma, according to Mullins.
Marin had the lowest rate in the state at 5.0 percent, said Mullins, and Imperial County had the highest with 23.3 percent. The comparable California and U.S. rates were 7.6 and 6.0 percent, respectively.
Mullins reported that total industry employment increased 380 (2.6 percent) between July 2007 and July 2008 ending the year-over period with 15,110 jobs.
Year-over job growth occurred in manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; private educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and government.
Year-over job losses occurred in natural resources, mining and construction; professional and business services; and other services.
Farm and financial activities were industry sectors with no change over the year.
Mullins said government led industry gainers adding 220 jobs over the year. The private educational and health services sector was up 90 jobs and trade, transportation and utilities gained 70. Leisure and hospitality increased 20, and manufacturing and information were each up 10 jobs.
Professional and business services led decliners dropping 20 for the period, said Mullins, with natural resources, mining and construction, and other services each down 10 jobs.
Eight industry sectors gained jobs or held steady over the year, and three declined, according to Mullins.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement on the state's unemployment picture, saying the entire nation continues to suffer through a slow economy that is affecting jobs and families here in California, and he's working with legislators to include in the state budget an economic stimulus package.
“Construction and financial services continue to struggle in California, but I am encouraged about recent increases in housing purchases and that other job sectors – while they do not have the robust growth we want or expect in California – are holding steady,” Schwarzenegger said.
{mos_sb_discuss:2}