(Richvale, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after sending a letter to Agriculture Committee Conferees requesting they include strong forest management provisions in the final Conference Report of the Farm Bill. The letter was sent along with other members of the Congressional Western Caucus.
 
LaMalfa said: “Wildfire season is at its worst in California. The Carr Fire quickly became one of the most devastating fires in the history of the North State, and we have decades of poorly managed federal forests to blame. We shouldn’t view worsening wildfires as simply inevitable, and instead focus on actionable solutions. As dead trees pile up and fires become increasingly severe, responsibly thinning our forests is now more important than ever. It’s imperative that any final conference report on the Farm Bill contains strong provisions to strengthen forest management practices. The House has approved a selection of reasonable and uncontroversial recommendations, and we expect the committee to seriously consider these provisions in the final report.”
 
A signed copy of the letter is attached. The letter recommended the following policy adjustments be included in the forestry title of the final Farm Bill of 2018:
 

• Allow existing and any new Healthy Forests Restoration Act authorities to be used within Fire Regimes IV and V. See Section 8321 of H.R. 2. 
•  Facilitate the use of Good Neighbor Authority by expanding it to counties and tribes and codifying existing practices concerning the flow of contributions and receipts associated with these projects. See Section 8331 of H.R. 2 and Section 8624 of H.R. 2 EAS.
• Accelerate post-fire restoration and reforestation projects through either a new categorical exclusion or, at the very least, by applying Sections 104 and 106 of HFRA to post-fire projects carried out under the Forest Service’s existing Emergency Situation Determination authority. See Sections 8312 and 8334 of H.R. 2.
• Establish an Action, No-Action authority for Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments to reward, incentivize, and protect projects that are developed through a collaborative process with diverse stakeholders. See Section 8335 of H.R. 2.
• Apply Section 106 of HFRA (“balance of harms” and other policies related to injunctions) to all forest management projects, and expressly clarify that courts must find that plaintiffs are “likely to succeed on the merits” before enjoining a forest management project. See Section 8336 of H.R. 2.
• Establish and expand categorical exclusions for projects that restore watersheds, protect water quality, improve forest health, allow for critical response, address insect and diseases, and reduce the risk of wildfire. See Section 8107 and Sections 8311-8321 of H.R. 2 as well as Section 8611 of H.R. 2 EAS.
• Streamline approval of, and afford tribes greater authority in, implementing projects under the Tribal Forest Protection Act. See Section 8401 and 8402 of H.R. 2.
• Establish pilot arbitration authority and include litigation reform to more swiftly resolve disputes over important forest management projects. See Sections 301, 311, 811 and 812 of H.R. 2936 and (g) of Section 8339 of H.R. 2.
• Update extraordinary circumstances regulations in order to allow expedited response. See Section 8503 of H.R. 2.
• Improve consultation under the Endangered Species Act. See Section 8303 of H.R. 2.
• Establish a voluntary pilot program that would allow a participating utility to conduct limited, proactive vegetation management work outside of its right-of-way on federal lands. This mitigation work should be conducted at the expense of the participating utility in order to better protect critical energy infrastructure from passing wildfires that start outside of the right of way. See Section 8502 of H.R. 2.
• Fully remove what the Obama Administration called the potentially “crippling” impacts of the Cottonwood decision by applying to the “new information” trigger under the Endangered Species Act the same reforms that recent appropriations legislation established for the listing of species and designation of critical habitat. See H.R. 6567.
•   Fully Empower states to have a greater role in cross boundary management and codify the Landscape Scale Restoration program. See S. 962 as well as Sections 8104 and 8509 of H.R. 2.
• Exempt Alaska from the 2001 'Roadless Rule' and thereby boost forestry in several National Forest System units in which it has been artificially suppressed.  See Section 8337 of H.R. 2.
• Allow new opportunities to conduct hazardous fuel removal on landscapes that cross federal, state, county and private property. See Section 8332 of H.R. 2.

 
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
 
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The Sierra County Arts Council is pleased to present The Discover Music program from the Reno Philharmonic in Sierra County Schools. These performances are designed to give the students a close-up look at symphonic music through performances, demos and fun participatory activities.  A Brass Quintet will play, demonstrate and interact with students.  There will also be a question and answer period. Our students will love these performances, which will give every student an opportunity to experience symphonic music.  Assemblies will be held in Loyalton High School Gymnasium at 10:00am and in Downieville School Gymnasium at 1:30pm, on Thursday, October 11.  These assemblies are made possible by support from the California Arts Council and from Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School District.  Sierra County Arts Council is State-Local Partner with the California Arts Council.  For more information visit our website: www.sierracountyartscouncil.org

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​There will be two Hunter Education classes offered this October by Erin Folchi and John Rickman.  One is a Home Study Class offered on Sunday, October 7, 1:00 PM,  at the Sierra Valley Gun Club just off of A24. In order to qualify for this class, you must study at home and come to class with either a voucher from the Hunter-Ed.com website or a completed workbook. (These workbooks are available from Erin or John.) This Home Study Class is not recommended for youngsters. After a brief review, the test will be given.
The other class being offered is the traditional hunter education experience. It is a four day class beginning on Monday, October 15, and will continue on October 18, 22, and 25. ALL four classes must be attended in order to take the test.  In addition to the four classes, optional range time will be offered Sunday, October 21 at 12:00 PM. This traditional class will be from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM each afternoon at the Loyalton Elementary School.
In order to take either of these classes, students need to register on the Department of Fish and Wildlife website. Please call if you have any questions.
Erin Folchi  832-5266  John Rickman  993-4158

 
MINERAL, CA- With autumn, comes cooler temperatures, ideal for hiking, backpacking, and campfires under the stars. This month, park campgrounds and services begin to transition to fall and winter schedules.
 
“The fall season offers numerous opportunities for enjoying Lassen Volcanic National Park,” said Superintendent Jim Richardson. “This time of year, we encourage visitors to check the park website before visiting and be prepared for seasonal changes to park services and conditions.”
 
The Southwest Walk-in Campground offers year-round camping in the southwest area of the park. The Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The café and gift store are open daily through October 10.
 
In the northwest area of the park, Manzanita Lake Campground remains open until snow closure, usually in late-October or November. The Camper Store is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through October 7. The Loomis Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and will transition to Friday through Sunday only on October 9. 
 
Warner Valley and Butte Lake (dry camping only) Campgrounds are open through October 23. Drakesbad Guest Ranch will wrap-up the summer season on October 7 followed by Juniper Lake Campground on October 9.
 
Autumn is an excellent time to participate in the Reach Higher Trail Challenge and earn a free commemorative bandana. This year’s challenge celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the National TrailsSystem, enacted on October 2. Lassen Volcanic contains all three types of National Trails: Scenic, Historic, and Recreation and a total of seven National Trails in or adjacent to the park. Share how you Find Your Trail in Lassen Volcanic with #Trails50 #FindYourTrail.
 
For more information, please visit nps.gov/lavo; contact the park at (530) 595-4480 or lavo_information@nps.gov; or find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or Flickr as LassenNPS.
 

 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Every day, thousands of parents and caregivers in California travel with children in their vehicle.    During Child Passenger Safety Week, September 23-29, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will work with its traffic safety partners throughout the state to make sure all children are riding safely.
 
In a nationwide study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that two out of three car seats are misused.  Motor vehicle collisions are a leading killer of children, and NHTSA data shows that such fatalities are on the rise, with 2016 being the deadliest for children under the age of 13 riding in vehicles. 
 
Parents and caregivers can prevent such tragedies by learning the proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.  For example, NHTSA has reported one-fourth of children age four to seven are using seat belts when they should still be riding in booster seats.  Child passenger safety experts and the CHP advise that children be kept in an appropriate child seat until they reach the upper height and weight allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
 
California law requires that all children under the age of two, weighing under 40 pounds and under 40 inches tall, to ride in a rear- facing car seat.  All children under the age of eight must ride in the back seat in an age-appropriate safety seat.  Safety experts recommend that all children ride in the back seat until the age of 13.  For more information about child passenger safety, visit https://www.chp.ca.gov/Programs-Services/Programs/Child-Safety-Seats.  
 
“Children rely on their parents and caregivers to keep them safe during every single trip,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said.  “The CHP will help you make sure you are using the right car seat, installed correctly.  The consequences of misused or unused car seats can be disastrous.” 
 
At child safety seat events held statewide September 23-29, CHP Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians will provide safety seat inspections, education, and hands-on training for parents and caregivers.  September 29 is National Seat Check Saturday.  Free inspections by CPS technicians are also available year-round, by appointment, at any CHP Area office. 
 
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.
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(Richvale, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after sending a letter to Agriculture Committee Conferees requesting they include strong forest management provisions in the final Conference Report of the Farm Bill. The letter was sent along with other members of the Congressional Western Caucus.
 
LaMalfa said: “Wildfire season is at its worst in California. The Carr Fire quickly became one of the most devastating fires in the history of the North State, and we have decades of poorly managed federal forests to blame. We shouldn’t view worsening wildfires as simply inevitable, and instead focus on actionable solutions. As dead trees pile up and fires become increasingly severe, responsibly thinning our forests is now more important than ever. It’s imperative that any final conference report on the Farm Bill contains strong provisions to strengthen forest management practices. The House has approved a selection of reasonable and uncontroversial recommendations, and we expect the committee to seriously consider these provisions in the final report.”
 
A signed copy of the letter is attached. The letter recommended the following policy adjustments be included in the forestry title of the final Farm Bill of 2018:
 

• Allow existing and any new Healthy Forests Restoration Act authorities to be used within Fire Regimes IV and V. See Section 8321 of H.R. 2. 
•  Facilitate the use of Good Neighbor Authority by expanding it to counties and tribes and codifying existing practices concerning the flow of contributions and receipts associated with these projects. See Section 8331 of H.R. 2 and Section 8624 of H.R. 2 EAS.
• Accelerate post-fire restoration and reforestation projects through either a new categorical exclusion or, at the very least, by applying Sections 104 and 106 of HFRA to post-fire projects carried out under the Forest Service’s existing Emergency Situation Determination authority. See Sections 8312 and 8334 of H.R. 2.
• Establish an Action, No-Action authority for Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments to reward, incentivize, and protect projects that are developed through a collaborative process with diverse stakeholders. See Section 8335 of H.R. 2.
• Apply Section 106 of HFRA (“balance of harms” and other policies related to injunctions) to all forest management projects, and expressly clarify that courts must find that plaintiffs are “likely to succeed on the merits” before enjoining a forest management project. See Section 8336 of H.R. 2.
• Establish and expand categorical exclusions for projects that restore watersheds, protect water quality, improve forest health, allow for critical response, address insect and diseases, and reduce the risk of wildfire. See Section 8107 and Sections 8311-8321 of H.R. 2 as well as Section 8611 of H.R. 2 EAS.
• Streamline approval of, and afford tribes greater authority in, implementing projects under the Tribal Forest Protection Act. See Section 8401 and 8402 of H.R. 2.
• Establish pilot arbitration authority and include litigation reform to more swiftly resolve disputes over important forest management projects. See Sections 301, 311, 811 and 812 of H.R. 2936 and (g) of Section 8339 of H.R. 2.
• Update extraordinary circumstances regulations in order to allow expedited response. See Section 8503 of H.R. 2.
• Improve consultation under the Endangered Species Act. See Section 8303 of H.R. 2.
• Establish a voluntary pilot program that would allow a participating utility to conduct limited, proactive vegetation management work outside of its right-of-way on federal lands. This mitigation work should be conducted at the expense of the participating utility in order to better protect critical energy infrastructure from passing wildfires that start outside of the right of way. See Section 8502 of H.R. 2.
• Fully remove what the Obama Administration called the potentially “crippling” impacts of the Cottonwood decision by applying to the “new information” trigger under the Endangered Species Act the same reforms that recent appropriations legislation established for the listing of species and designation of critical habitat. See H.R. 6567.
•   Fully Empower states to have a greater role in cross boundary management and codify the Landscape Scale Restoration program. See S. 962 as well as Sections 8104 and 8509 of H.R. 2.
• Exempt Alaska from the 2001 'Roadless Rule' and thereby boost forestry in several National Forest System units in which it has been artificially suppressed.  See Section 8337 of H.R. 2.
• Allow new opportunities to conduct hazardous fuel removal on landscapes that cross federal, state, county and private property. See Section 8332 of H.R. 2.

 
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
 
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On September 6th at approximately 4:15 p.m. Luis Francisco Camacho Era was driving his 2001 Freightliner big rig, hauling a flatbed trailer full of lumber, heading westbound on SR-70. He was just west of Old Mill drive when his ruck drifted onto the right shoulder. The front of the truck then hit a ditch and continued along the rock embankment on the north side of the road. Era related he lost control of the truck at this point and his truck went back across both the westbound and eastbound lanes. The truck collided with the guard rail on the south  road edge and overturned onto its right side. Following the collision Era exited his truck and awaited emergency services on the shoulder. Era sustained no injuries as a result of this collision and was wearing his seatbelt at the time.
 
On September 12th  at 11:25 a.m. Jacob T Taulbee, 27 of Vacaville and his passenger Elizabeth A. Arcamone, 24 of Vaaville were traveling southbound on SR-89 south of Calpine Summit in a 2018 Honda Accord at a stated speed of 50-55 mph when a deer entered the roadway from the west side of SR-89. The deer entered directly into the path of the Honda and Taulbee was unable to avoid a collision as the front of the Honda collided with the deer. Taulbee was able to safely slow the Honda on the east shoulder of SR-89 and the deer entered the wooded area on the east side of SR-89. No injuries were reported.
 
On September 19th at approximately 8:15 a.m. Tipton W. Moser, 61, of Reno  was driving his Peterbilt fuel tanker truck and tank trailer westbound on SR-70 in the curve prior to the Spanish Creek Bridge in excess of 40 mph. The truck and trailer were both fully loaded with gasoline and diesel fuel. Due to the speed of Moser’s vehicle, he lost control as he exited a curve, causing the rear trailer to tip over subsequently pulling over the truck tanker. The truck and trailer slid sideways across both lanes of the highway and collided into the metal guardrail at the end of the Spanish Creek Bridge and dirt embankment. This impact caused the vehicle to roll over and rupture both fuel tanks. As a result of the hazardous materials spill the entire highway was closed for an extended period of time.
 

SACRAMENTO, CA—The California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) has endorsed Corona Police Sergeant Jason Perez for the Public Agency Seat of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) Board of Directors.
“CalPERS is in trouble and needs Sergeant Jason Perez on its Board,” said CPCA President, David Swing. “Jason is the only candidate with a real plan to save the pension fund and ensure that police officers and all public employees throughout California will have a stable and secure retirement when their careers come to an end.”
Established in 1966, the California Police Chiefs Association represents municipal police chiefs and their agencies in California. Association members provide public safety for more than 26 million Californians. 
“I am deeply honored to have the support of California’s Police Chiefs,” Jason Perez said.  “One of the most vital tools these chiefs need to attract the best and most professional police officers to their departments is the pension benefit. As a member of the CalPERS Board of Director’s, I will work hard every day to ensure that the CalPERS pension fund is solvent and provides those who have paid into the system with the reasonable retirement they were promised.”
Jason Perez is committed to steering the CalPERS Board away from failing divestment strategies that have resulted in catastrophic financial losses for California’s pension fund.  Prior to the current Board makeup, CalPERS was 108% funded.  Today CalPERS is roughly 70% funded, resulting in employees across the state have had their retirements cut.
Jason Perez is a sergeant with the Corona Police Department and currently serves as the president of the Corona Police Officers Association.  Perez’s candidacy for CalPERS Board of Directors is supported by rank and file law enforcement officers and a large collection of municipal and county employees throughout the state of California.
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Loyalton held its September Market on the 15th with a great variety! Many thanks to those who made the effort. Vendors are free. Next Market is October 27th when East Sierra Valley Chamber and Leonards provide a fun venue for the whole family. Come carve pumpkins, get face painting and enjoy a bounce house! It all starts at 10 a.m.

Ruby Burch and Bobby Wheeler offer handmade crafts at Saturday's Loyalton Market.

HOUSE PLANTS were offered by Kayte Lundee.