By Christopher Cadelago and Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee

California lawmakers said late Thursday that they have reached a deal on legislation to regulate and license medical marijuana.

The regulatory framework to corral the billion-dollar medical cannabis industry will be contained in three bills that have received the blessings of the two chambers and Gov. Jerry Brown, said Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, one of the authors of the measures.

Bonta said his measure, which along with the others will be released today, would require state and local licenses for medical marijuana businesses. It would create a new Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation to oversee the licensing and regulatory effort and involve the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Public Health.

Read the whole story

From 12:01am Aug. 21 through midnight Sept. 7 officers representing six El Dorado County law enforcement agencies have arrested 65 individuals for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol or
drugs. There were three deaths which are being investigated as potential DUIs in the area.

The enforcement was part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to save lives and make our roads safer.

“DUI enforcement resulted in far too many drunk driving arrests and citations countywide over the past 18 days,” officials said in a press release. “If everyone would drive sober, thousands of lives could be saved each year. In 2013 alone, there were 10,076 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in the United States. California’s DUI deaths stood at 867 that year. That’s almost a third of all the traffic crash fatalities for the year according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”

Law enforcement officials will be conducting more anti-DUI efforts throughout the county and region again during Halloween before planning for the December Winter DUI Mobilization.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

TRIBE-olution will be at MontBleu on Sept. 25 as a fundraiser for Tahoe Arts Project.

The roots of hip hop dance will be explored through African, Brazilian and Asian styles.

The dance group will be performing at South Shore schools earlier in the week.

The Friday performance starts at 7pm. It costs $15 for adults, $10 for children. To buy tickets or more info, call 530.542.3632.

To the community,

The South Lake Tahoe Library just wrapped up our Summer Reading Club, which encourages children to read all summer long by rewarding them with prizes, and we would like to thank the many businesses and organizations that donated to the library. Our theme this year was Every Hero Has A Story and we had many local heroes who helped make our program a success.

This summer children read a total of 3,700 hours and the prizes that they could choose from included gift certificates from local businesses, including Applebee’s Restaurant, Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, Blue Dog Gourmet Pizza, Heavenly Village Cinema, Jamba Juice, Magic Carpet Golf, McDonalds, SLT Parks and Recreation Swimming Pool, and Tahoe Bowl. Thanks to the Raley’s NickelAid Community Giving Program books were also purchased for prizes. Gaia-Licious Global Gift Boutique and Wildwood DIY Boutique also donated gift certificates for the adult program. Thank you to all of these businesses for their generous donations.

Many other agencies and organizations also supported the library. For our Local Superheroes Day the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, South Tahoe Refuse, and U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighters volunteered their time so children could meet some real life heroes. The Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe and Aktion Club members volunteered their time at our kick off party, assisting with games and crafts. The South Tahoe Optimist Club generously sponsored the Wild Things Inc. performance, where over 200 children and adults enjoyed viewing and learning about seven different wild animals. All other performances and prizes were made possible due to the wonderful support from the Friends of the Library.

On behalf of the South Lake Tahoe Library, I want to say thank you again to all of these businesses and organizations for so generously supporting our library and the community that we serve.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Diebolt, library assistant

By Kathryn Reed

One of the biggest differences between the incoming CEO at Barton Health and the outgoing leader is actual medical experience.

Clint Purvance, who takes over the top job Nov. 1, is a doctor by training. John Williams, who will depart after the first of the year, is a businessman. Williams, 70, has had the job since November 2006.

Clint Purvance

“As a CEO with a physician background, I understand the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and the value of being a partner in my patient’s journey to better health,” Purvance told Lake Tahoe News. “I will continue to focus on the doctor-patient relationship with the goal that all our providers not only offer high-quality medical care but thoughtful and compassionate care as well. I envision my role to lead our outstanding team of staff and physicians in partnership with the community to improve our population’s overall health and wellness.”

Purvance, 45, has spent his entire career at Barton, having started in 1999. He attended the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno and completed his emergency medicine residency training at University of Michigan. For the past eight years he has been chief medical officer for Barton Health.

“The chief executive officer’s primary role is to provide thoughtful oversight and guidance for the entire organization. As the chief medical officer, I focused on the delivery and quality of patient care. This ranged from expanding medical services to meet our community’s needs to improving quality and safety standards,” Purvance said. “In my new role as the CEO, I will have the greater responsibility of considering and interacting with all facets of the organization. I will work closely with the board, staff, and physicians as we strive to deliver safe, high quality care to our patients. I will also work in partnership with the community to improve overall health and wellness.”

His goal is to put a greater emphasis on wellness and injury prevention in order to improve the health of the community as a whole.

“The Affordable Care Act continues to bring changes to our health care system and other systems across the nation. In particular, we are seeing increases in regulatory demands and reductions in reimbursements, which continue to be reduced each year, and still need to provide high quality and compassionate care,” Purvance said. “The desire to decrease costs, provide timely and appropriate care, and give a high quality experience for our patients is a balancing act. Our nation’s ‘sick care’ model where we treat patients at the time of illness or injury is fading as we shift our focus to wellness and prevention and making sure our patients receive the appropriate level of expertise with the appropriate level of care they need. This new model continues to evolve, which can be challenging and unpredictable.”

He was instrumental in getting the hospital to be a level three trauma center. He said the designation has allowed for expanded emergency care locally, which was lacking in such a remote location.

Purvance will be in charge of 900 full- and part-time employees, as well as being tasked with working closely with approximately 160 medical and allied providers.

The patient count at the hospital has been declining through the years. In 2005, the count was 86, in 2006 it was 60 and now it is 20. Officials said at times it reaches 40 patients per day. Net revenues for Barton Health are about $150 million.

Barton Health would not release Purvance’s salary and benefits package. Barton’s 2013 tax return, the last available, shows him making $391,481 a year and Williams earning $465,121. Those figures do not include benefits.

The goal is to fill the chief medical officer position by the end of the year. Purvance said he would be looking for someone with a “background in clinical excellence and a passion for providing exceptional care to our diverse patient population.”

Purvance will be responsible for both jobs starting Nov. 1. Williams is staying on board a few months to help with the transition.

The Barton board conducted a nationwide search for the CEO job. The recruiting team included staff, physicians and board members. Six people were interviewed. Purvance and another finalist met with a broader panel of staff, physicians and the board of directors.

By Richard Solbrig

I would like to provide information to clarify portions of Lake Tahoe News’ Sept. 2 article on franchise agreements and provide some additional information that was not available when we spoke prior to my meeting with the city on Aug. 31.

The article commences with a reference to “since early summer.” This is in reference to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and district concerning water issues, which in various versions has been in place for most of the city’s 50-year history. A basic tenet of the agreement has been a defined quantity of water provided to the city at no charge. Sewer charges have never been involved. Over the years, other services and fee waivers have been exchanged between the two agencies. The most recent MOU, which expired July 15, 2015, stipulated that the district would not pay encroachment permit fees in exchange for a quantity of water (2,500,000 cubic feet per year). At current rates for water ($1.28/100 cubic feet), this equates to $32,000, not the $100,000 stated in the article. This was the maximum amount saved, if the city utilized the whole allotment, which occurred three out of the last five years.

In exchange for the water, the district did not pay for encroachment fees on projects located within the city right-of-way, but continued to be subject to repaving and traffic control requirements of the city. The city’s current encroachment fee is equal to 1 1/2 percent of the construction cost of water main replacement type projects. This results in a $15,000 encroachment fee for each $1 million spent on projects within the city’s right-of-way. Thus, the total saved by the district was based upon the actual projects done. Projections based upon the district’s 10-year capital improvement programs resulted in a fairly even trade of waived costs over the life of the MOU. The city and district mutually agreed to not renew the MOU, based upon transparency, accounting and administration considerations. The city now pays for all water used, and the district pays for encroachment permit fees.

The district was informed several months ago, at the end of a discussion concerning the water MOU referred to above, that the city was considering a Franchise Ordinance for utilities. The district’s only comment at that time was that we questioned its applicability to a “public utility district.” The conversation lasted approximately five minutes. The city indicated that they would provide us with further information on the subject and we indicated that the city’s attorney could contact the district’s attorney if he had any questions.

No further dialogue concerning franchise agreements occurred between the city and the district until a meeting on Aug. 31. On Aug. 31 the district received a verbal proposal for a 20-year franchise agreement between the city and the district for a 2 percent fee. The 2 percent fee would be applied to the water and sewer service charges for the district’s customers located within the city limits. At that rate, that would equate to approximately $300,000 per year, not the $500,000 stated in the article. These types of discrepancies are the basis of why I refrain from speculating on important topics.

At the meeting the city also provided a draft general Franchise Ordinance for all utilities and a copy of a franchise agreement between the city and a private water company from 50 years ago, but nothing specific to the district.

The district’s preliminary research, performed in the past few days, indicates that a city cannot impose a franchise fee on a special district for facilities in the public right-of-way. Under the Public Utility Code of California, the publicly owned utility districts are granted the specific right to have their facilities in the public right-of-way. This principle is so universally accepted in California that the district cannot identify a single “publicly owned” utility district that has a franchise agreement with a city, county, or the state of California. This includes the supposed examples offered by the city at our meeting. Even the franchise agreement the city had with a small water company, which was purchased by the district in the 1970s, included language stating that if the water company were purchased by a public entity (state of California, or some municipal or public corporation), that the franchise agreement would expire.

We agree that the city has the right to have a Franchise Ordinance, as you indicated in your article. They have had, and will continue to have, franchise agreements per the ordinance, with all the non-publicly owned utilities – electric, gas, water, etc., as do most other cities and counties in California.

Richard Solbrig is general manager of South Tahoe Public Utility District.

By Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle

When Joe Breeze did what thousands of Mill Valley kids had done before him — stood on Miller Avenue across the street from the 2am Club and stuck out his thumb to hitch a ride — he didn’t know he was changing history.

But he was. Because on that October day in 1973, Breeze had a bike with him. A stripped-down old Schwinn cruiser, with big balloon tires.

It took a couple of rides to get all the way up to the top of Mount Tamalpais, but Breeze got there. He was supposed to meet his cycling pals Otis Guy and Marc Vendetti, but they were nowhere to be found. So, in the East Peak parking lot, he jumped on his bike and rode down the old railroad grade fire road.

“Oh, my God,” he thought to himself, “this is so much fun.”

Read the whole story

By Associated Press

The four-year drought that has ravaged California and the wildfires charring through the state’s dry forests have exposed prehistoric Native American sites as water levels drop and thick brush and poison oak are burned away.

That has helped artifact looters searching for obsidian spear points and other artifacts.

“Drought brings the water down. Much of the lake (normally) hides cultural sites and villages,” said Bill Salta, the state parks superintendent in Lake County.

The looters know this, flocking to the water’s newly exposed edge. Or they traverse the scorched earth looking for signs of Native American sites, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

Taking the artifacts is illegal, in some cases a felony. Still, it’s typically an under-the-radar crime, but in Lake County and some other places, there’s a new effort by officials to attack the problem before it gets worse.

In mid-August, several members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office attended training on illegal looting of artifacts, and learned that many times looters are looking for quick cash to buy drugs.

Two days after the training ended, a Lake County deputy ran across an artifacts looter while checking on a report of a man trying to approach an underage girl. The deputy saw the suspect, Brian Gene Smith, had a satchel full of spear points, serrated hand tools and obsidian flakes. Some were attached to index cards noting where and when the items were found, sheriff’s officials said. They said Smith — his hands unable to remain still — said he was writing a book and was going to return the items to the tribes.

Everything from the artifact training was playing out in front of the deputy, officials said: the drugs. The documentation. Photos of finds on a digital camera.

Smith was jailed on suspicion of crimes including possession of Native American artifacts and removing objects of archaeological or historical interest.

The arrest was a milestone in efforts to get law enforcement to recognize such crimes, said Dino Beltran, treasurer of the Tribal Council for the Koi Nation, one of the Pomo tribes in the region.

“The whole Native American community up here in Northern California is absolutely elated, rejoicing that there is a feeling of respect,” Beltran said.

Human artifacts in the region date back more than 14,000 years, when humans settled around what is believed to be the oldest lake in North America. Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, comprising 1,700 acres south of Clear Lake, was created in 1985 to preserve archaeological interests

Public officials in Lake County and elsewhere are urging people to report looting and to leave artifacts where they are.

To some people, such relics represent a curiosity or a quick buck. But to Native Americans “that’s one more taking of their heritage,” said Beverly Ortiz, cultural services coordinator for the East Bay Regional Park.

To the community,

A note for Kim Davis and her supporters:

1)      Separation of church and state – No government endorsement of any particular religion. This should quiet all of you, but it doesn’t.

2)      Kim you already compromised your beliefs with:

A)    being divorced (multiple times)

B)     Being an adulterer

C)    Filing divorce papers for people

D)    I would also guess that you might wear cotton/poly blends once in a while, eat shellfish and work on the Sabbath. (I could be wrong.)

E)     Also, (this is from “your book”) –

1) Punish the sin, not the sinner

2) Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

3) Judge not, lest ye be judged

4) Love your neighbor as you would love yourself.

You need to follow all the rules, not just the ones you like.

3)      Nobody is denying you your right to worship. They just want you to do the job you signed up for. A civil job in a civil capacity. If you cannot do the job, please resign. I’m sure God will provide for you if you quit your job. Have some faith.

4)     Not everyone believes in your God. Please don’t let this upset you. If he/she/it is real, we are ultimately forgiven. Says so in “your book”.

5)    One last note – We are not a “Christian Nation*. Yes, there are Christians here, but ultimately we are a nation of laws. Just because a lot of people here are jerks doesn’t mean we are a jerk nation.

* Some people assume that we are Christian Nation because we were founded by Freemasons. I’ll just mention that the only requirement for becoming a Freemason is that you believe in a “higher power”. They are not exclusively Christian. That could be any higher power – God, Zeus, Allah, Yahweh, Jesus, The FSM, Cthulhu, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Illuminati, Reptilian Shapeshifter, etc.

John Spinola, South Lake Tahoe

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times

Echoing a nationwide downward trend, most California students are falling short of state learning targets and are not on track to succeed in college, according to the results of new, more rigorous standardized tests released Wednesday.

Across California, 44 percent of students achieved targets for their grade in English, while 34 percent did so in math.

Questions based on the new Common Core standards, which have been adopted in 42 states, are more difficult than those on California’s previous test. And students for the first time took the exam on computers.

Read the whole story