​Weather includes, hold your hat, … a snow forecast. J
 
Reno discussion:
 
·       Strong winds likely Sunday-Monday due to a cold front. Confidence increasing in first legit wind of the fall season with wind speeds higher and lasting for a longer duration than the front last week. This will be a significant fire weather concern + road and air travel impacts from wind. Winds may stay up all night for ridges, wind prone locations, and mountain valleys Saturday and Sunday nights. Sunday is the main day, but looks to remain quite windy into Monday. Fire weather concerns area-wide Sunday and for areas mainly near and south of US-50 on Monday. Areas of blowing dust possible.
·       Smoke issues remain near larger fires especially the Walker Fire assuming continued fire activity. Less certainty in the smoke forecast with lighter winds today. Next several days will depend on fire activity. Could see improvement early next week if enough rain/snow falls. 
·       Turning much colder Monday-Wednesday AM with frosts or freezes likely in typical areas, possible even in lower elevations. Scattered rain and dare I say snow showers, looking possible Monday-Tuesday.Potential is there for light snow accumulations Monday night into Tuesday AM above 7000 feet. Lower confidence, but a few embedded thunderstorms also possible.
 
CHANGES FROM PREVIOUS BRIEFING
 
·       High confidence in a strong wind event this weekend Sunday into Monday followed by a big cool down.

QUINCY, Calif. – For the 36th consecutive year, selected roads and off-highway vehicle trails in the Diamond Mountain Limited Vehicular Access Area will be closed to motorized vehicles before and during deer hunting season within Zone X-6A. The motor vehicle restriction goes into effect September 28 and continues through October 20, 2019.
Partners in this successful effort to provide a more primitive hunting experience include Plumas County Fish & Game Commission, California Department of Fish & Wildlife and Plumas National Forest. The motor vehicle restriction is due to the volume of vehicles in deer hunting areas during the deer season and the effects of motor vehicles on deer behavior.
While motorized vehicles are prohibited on all roads and trails in the area during this closure, some activities are exempt from the order. For the purposes of this Order, a wheelchair is not considered a motorized vehicle.
This area is outside of the Walker Fire closure.          
Please visit the Plumas National Forest’s website to view the forest closure order No. 05-11-02-19-05 and associated map, http://www.fs.usda.gov/plumas . See “Alerts & Warnings.”  If you need more information about the forest order, what activities are exempt, or would like to obtain a hard copy of the map, contact the Mt. Hough Ranger District at (530) 283-0555.                                 
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Motorists Should Treat Non-Working Signals as All-Way Stops
 
DISTRICT 3 — Caltrans is preparing for widespread power outages this summer and fall if PG&E cuts power during high-wind and red flag warning periods to reduce the risk of wildfire.
 
Motorists are reminded that the California Department of Motor Vehicle Driver Handbook mandates that non-working (dark) and flashing red traffic signals be treated as all-way stops during power outages. Drivers should proceed with caution through intersections and observe right-of-way rules.
 
“District 3 is home to many beautiful, natural resources and scenic views, although they can be fire risks,” said Caltrans District 3 Amarjeet S. Benipal. “We appreciate wildfire reduction efforts that help keep our communities and our state highways safe for everyone.”
 
Throughout District 3, traffic signals contain battery backups, which typically last 3 to 4 hours before becoming non-operational. Additional measures may be implemented at signals during power outages including generators or stop signs. However, motorists should be prepared for all-way stops at non-lighted signals during power outages.
 
To illustrate the safest way to navigate an intersection during times with no power, Caltrans Public Affairs developed a Caltrans News Flash, which can be viewed here: bit.ly/CT_News_Flash_211.
 
PG&E customers are also encouraged to sign up for electrical outage alerts and review current outage maps via its website.
 
Caltrans District 3 maintains more than 4,385 lanes miles of state highway in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. The department issues updates about road conditions on Twitter and on Facebook. For real-time traffic information, go to http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ or download the free Caltrans QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.
 

By Harold Pease, Ph. D



This Tuesday, September 17, is Constitution Day, arguably the most forgotten designated day in America.  The mainstream media will say nothing of it.  No parades or city council proclamations.  No three-day weekend, beer busts or barbecues in its favor.  It is as though it never happened.  Probably not one in ten can tell what happened this day in 1787; it has been forgotten so long.  
Still, this day the Constitutional Convention ended and the Constitution was sent to the states for ratification thus institutionalizing liberty in America more fully.  This positively affected everyone in the United States and is probably the most important day in our history—so special millions flood our borders illegally to benefit from it.  
For nearly six thousand years of recorded history governments, best described as regimental, dominated man.  Only for a few fleeting moments in the past has individual man had anything to say concerning the restrictions leveled on him. Under an occasional benevolent monarchy or an unconcerned king, man has, in rare instances, been left to himself and thus somewhat free.  And, even more rare were the instances when as in Athens, Rome or at Runnymede, the people, sometimes through persuasion and often by force, instituted changes allowing individual freedom to flourish for a brief time.  Our experiment with liberty was one of them.
Still, until 1787 man did not know how to harness government.  Liberty is, in fact, freedom from excessive government and the biggest enemy to individual liberty is, and has always been, government.  But the Constitutional Convention, ending on September 17, did just this.
We abolished kings forever in favor of presidents selected by the state legislatures (before the 17th Amendment) for a short, but defined, period of time.  We took away the president’s power to make decrees (even laws or rules) over us, allowing him, in a state of the union address to merely suggest changes, otherwise to sign or veto law made by the legislative branch.
The legislative branch, consisting of representatives for the states, (the U.S. Senate) to protect states’ rights from federal intrusion, and the peoples’ representatives (the House of Representative) to protect the people from federal intrusion, made ALL the law.  Both legislative branches from different perspectives, had to approve every law imposed upon the people and all law had to adhere to the constitutional list (Article I, Sec. 8, Cla. 1-18).  
Historically, the two areas most sensitive to the people were excessive taxation, as all monies expended were extracted from the people, and unpopular wars, as all injuries, deaths, and suffering was absorbed by the people.  Under the Constitution there can never be an unpopular war as the peoples’ representative (The House of Representatives) have total power over raising and funding the army.  They must consent to the war by declaration (because they provide blood and brawn for it) and they alone authorize the treasure for it (Art. 1, Sec. 8, Cla. 11).  “All bills for raising revenue shall originate” with them (Art. 1, Sec. 7, Cla. 1).  The Constitution, if followed as designed, ended for all time both unpopular taxes and war.  We became the first nation in history placing the people in charge of both.  Moreover, funding for war could not be extended for more than a two-year time period, thus requiring that the war remain the will of the people (Art. I, Sec. 8, Cla. 12).
The Constitution is marked by four divisions of power the first—and most important—being between the states and the federal government with fear of a national government dominant.  Our Founders, under a new concept called federalism, allowed two governments to co-exist, neither to be over or under the other, with primarily external issues governed by a federal government and internal issues by the states—like a marriage—equal partners.  All power not specifically listed in the Constitution remained with the states.  The federal government’s powers were listed in Article I, Section 8, Clauses 1-18 or what the states agreed to give them later, but anything thereafter added by amendment required 3/4th of the states to approve (Article V).  It was decidedly a limited government from the outset with few federal laws restricting the individual.

The other three divisions divided power at the federal level.  Separation of powers is basic to the Constitution with one body, the legislative branch, making federal law, another, the executive branch, enforcing it, and a third, the judicial branch, adjudicating it.  But none of these branches were to legislate, execute or adjudicate in a manner to erase or undermine the first division of power between the states and the federal government.  No Founding Father supported this. 
The Bill of Rights, demanded by the states as a condition of their ratification of the Constitution, further restricted the federal government.  Amendments thereafter 11-27, approved by 3/4th of the states, altered some parts of the Constitution.  Still, the federal government remains limited and on notice to remain subservient to the people. 
The Constitution remains an enemy to big government, largely supported by both political parties and liberals and conservatives alike, because big government is an enemy to individual liberty.  Perhaps this is the reason so few wish to honor it or bring attention to it on Constitution Day.  Americans might awaken to their extensive loss of liberty.

 
Dr. Harold Pease is a syndicated columnist and an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He taught history and political science from this perspective for over 30 years at Taft College.  Newspapers have permission to publish this column. To read more of his weekly articles, please visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org.

AB 5 Spells the End for Independent Trucking in California

 (SACRAMENTO) — The California Senate approved Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5), a measure that will put tens of thousands of owner-operator truckers, who service agriculture, retail and other industry sectors, out of business. Despite efforts by the California Trucking Association (CTA) to amend the measure in a way that would protect independent truckers, Assembly Bill 5 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) passed with an overwhelming 29-11 vote.
“AB 5 could have been amended to address worker misclassification issues, as well as protect the 70,000 predominantly minority-owned truckers currently operating as independent contractors,” said Shawn Yadon, CTA’s CEO. “There is no reason why protecting workers does not include defending the right of tens of thousands of drivers who have built their businesses around the independent owner-operator model, invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in their trucks and have operated their own businesses for decades.” 
Since the bill’s introduction, CTA has advocated for changes to AB 5, including requirements for operating authority, ownership of vehicles, exclusivity and transparency about pay. These changes would have set a clear criterion and established independence in a way that protected employees from misclassification without hurting entire sectors of the business community.
Instead, AB 5 proponents created a scenario in which they chose winners and losers by carving out some professions while excluding others. In an attempt to address some of the concerns of California’s owner-operators, AB 5 was amended to allow drivers working within the construction industry to continue operating as independent truckers for a two-year grace period. However, AB 5 will severely limit work opportunities for tens of thousands of independent owner-operators in other business sectors.
In California, more than 136,950 trucking companies remain primarily small, locally owned business with small fleets and independent drivers.
“AB 5 will have implications that will go beyond employment classification,” said Yadon, CTA’s CEO. “Like the rest of the nation, California is experiencing a shortage of truck drivers, this measure will aggravate the problem by removing thousands of drivers from rosters as many have indicated they will move to other states or seek a different line of work all together.”
AB 5 now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature. If signed into law, AB 5 would deny a significant segment of the trucking industry the ability to continue operating as independent owner-operators, forcing them to abandon the investments they have made in their vehicles and taking away their flexibility to set their own schedule and determine their own destiny for their business.
Governor Newsom has until October 13, 2019, to approve or veto this bill.
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 About the California Trucking Association
The California Trucking Association has been serving the commercial motor carrier industry in California, and the companies that provide products and services to the trucking industry, for 83 years. A critical and vital component of California’s economy, 78 percent of California communities depend solely on trucks to deliver their goods. Our carrier membership ranges from individual owner-operators, to small for-hire fleets, to the largest national and international carriers. Allied members of the California Trucking Association range from businesses involved with truck and trailer sales, parts and service, insurance, legal services and all other businesses that support the trucking industry.

 
 The California Trucking Association promotes leadership in the California motor carrier industry, advocates sound transportation policies to all levels of government, and works to maintain a safe, environmentally responsible and efficient California transportation goods

​

 
Nevada City, Calif. – The Tahoe National Forest is looking to hire enthusiastic, highly motivated individuals for temporary seasonal positions as wildland firefighters.
Positions are available in hotshot/handcrews, helicopter helitack crews, engine crews, fuels management, fire lookout, and dispatch.
 
Duty Locations: Truckee, Sierraville, Loyalton, Soda Springs, Foresthill, Camptonville, Downieville, Grass Valley, Nevada City
For seasonal positions, submit applications September 16 through September 30, 2019.
For more information, go to the Tahoe National Forest webpagewww.fs.usda.gov/tahoe and click on Fire Hire tag. Or email us atTNFfirehire@gmail.com for information on temporary seasonal fire positions.
 
 
 
 

​“MEGAFIRES” NOT INCREASING: NEW RESEARCH SHOWS LARGE HIGH-SEVERITY FIRES ARE NATURAL IN WESTERN FORESTS


Case Study Rebukes U.S. Forest Service’s Post-Fire Clearcut Methods
ASHLAND, OR – SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 – A peer-reviewed study by leading experts of forest and fire ecology recently published in the science journal Diversity disputes the widely held belief that “megafires” in our national forests are increasing, preventing forests from re-growing, and that logging is necessary to prevent these wildfires. While many policy and management decisions in U.S. national forests are based on these assumptions, research shows that large patches of trees killed by wildfires—known as high-severity burn patches—have not been increasing. These findings thus show that taxpayer-funded logging projects on public lands are not only unnecessary, they are also counter-productive, as related research shows that such logging often increases fire severity.
Researchers analyzed the most extensive contemporary and historical datasets ever collected on large (over 1,000 acres) high-severity burn patches across 11 western dry pine and mixed-conifer forests over three decades. The findings dispute the prevailing belief that increasing “megafires” are setting back post-fire forest regeneration.
“This is the most extensive study ever conducted on the high-severity fire component of large fires, and our results demonstrate that there is no need for massive forest thinning and salvage logging before or after a forest fire,” says Dr. Dominick A. DellaSala, lead author of the study and Chief Scientist at the Geos Institute. “The perceived 'megafire' problem is
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FOREST AND FIRE ECOLOGY CASE STUDY /SEPT. 10, 2019/PAGE 2
being overblown. After a fire, conditions are ideal for forest re-establishment, even in the interior of the largest severely burned patches. We found conditions for forest growth in interior patches were possible over 1000 feet from the nearest low/moderately burned patch where seed sources are most likely.”
DellaSala and co-author Dr. Chad Hanson of the John Muir Project used computer mapping (GIS) databases to investigate vegetation and fire severity trends in large, severely burned forest patches, out of which grow “complex early seral forests” or “snag forest habitats”—unique and ecologically rich areas that are comparable to old forests in terms of native biodiversity and wildlife abundance. They analyzed these patches in four equal time periods from 1984 to 2015 using U.S. Geological Survey fire severity datasets. They found an increase in large burn patches only during the 1980s and early 1990s, followed by a flat pattern to the present day.
“We will use these findings to counter ill-conceived post-fire logging projects on the Stanislaus National Forest in the Sierra Nevada,” says Dr. Hanson. “The U.S. Forest Service, assisted by The Nature Conservancy and Sierra Nevada Conservancy, is proposing to clearcut several thousand acres of prime snag forest habitat based on their false assumption that the forest cannot rejuvenate on its own and is better off being converted to wood chips for biomass energy production, which worsens the climate crisis.”
The study concludes that over the past three decades, the interval between large, high-severity burn patches at the landscape scale averaged 12 centuries to over 4,000 years, allowing more than ample time for forests to regenerate and develop into old-growth areas. Evidence was found in historical records of even larger high-severity burn patches, countering claims that contemporary high-severity burn patches are unprecedented and forests cannot recover on their own.
 
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FOREST AND FIRE ECOLOGY CASE STUDY /SEPT. 10, 2019/PAGE 3
“This paper is critical to wildlife conservation in fire-dependent forests, as it dispels notions that large, high-severity fires are unnatural and catastrophic,” says Monica Bond, a Ph. D candidate and researcher with the Wild Nature Institute, who was not involved in the study. “As a researcher, I have documented spotted owls, songbirds, and numerous woodpeckers using these large burn patches for both foraging and nesting. An entire community of under-appreciated wildlife depends on these large burns.”
See below for links to the study:
Abstract: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/11/9/157
HTML Version: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/11/9/157/htm
PDF Version: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/11/9/157/pdf
For more information on the Rim fire, visit https://bit.ly/2kaxpMF.
About Geos Institute:
Geos Institute is a science-based organization that is helping to make natural and human communities whole in the face of climate change. For information on their forest work, visit https://www.forestlegacies.org/.
About The John Muir Project:
            John Muir Project (www.johnmuirproject.org) is a forest conservation and research organization dedicated to ensuring that public forests are protected and managed for ecology and recreation, not commercial logging. 

PG&E’s in-house meteorology team just launched a new weather website which includes a 7-Day Public Safety Power Shutoff Potential Forecast. Here’s the link in case you are interested in checking it out and sharing with your weather fans and viewers: www.pge.com/weather.  The website is updated daily by a PG&E meteorologist or fire scientist and is geared toward informing customers and communities about detailed weather data in their areas, and uses four PSPS categories: Not expected, Elevated, PSPS Watch, PSPS Warning.
 

 
In addition to the 7-Day Public Safety Power Shutoff Potential Forecast, customers and community members can view humidity, precipitation, temperatures, wind speeds and wind gusts across 70,000 square miles of Northern and Central California. The site also features detailed hometown weather conditions, based on the closest weather station.
 

Monday, September 9 through Thursday, September 12, 2019
Plumas County
 
The Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District and the Plumas County Public Health Agency are issuing a joint Air Quality Health Advisory to notify the public of potentially poor air quality conditions at least through September 12, 2019 resulting from the Walker Fire and possibly other Northern California fires. Most of the smoke is expected to travel to the northeast, but at times it could settle into the Indian Valley and possibly reach the communities of Quincy, Chester and Portola. Conditions are expected to vary from Good throughout most of the county to Unhealthy near the fire and in the smoke plume, depending on wind direction and other factors. 
 
Exposure to elevated PM2.5 (fine particulate matter in smoke) concentrations can result in eye and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, congestion, coughing, impaired lung function and chest pain, especially among sensitive individuals such as the elderly, children, people with asthma, people with heart or lung conditions, pregnant women and anyone who is exercising or working hard outdoors.
 
If you smell or see smoke around you, the following actions are recommended:

• Minimize outdoor activities even if you are healthy;
• Stay indoors with doors and windows closed as much as possible; run the air conditioner on the “recirculate” setting if that is an option;
• People with asthma should follow their asthma management plan;
• People with heart disease, respiratory or chronic health issues should stay indoors;
• Contact your doctor if you have symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, or severe fatigue;
• Keep airways moist and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water;
• Avoid breathing additional smoke, such as from cigarettes or barbecues.

 
Near real-time air quality conditions for Quincy, Portola and Chester may be found at www.myairdistrict.com (click on your location of interest in the “Local Air Quality” portion).  As you view the most recent data, take into consideration that conditions can change rapidly due to wind shifts; it is wise to monitor the smoke throughout the day and make plans accordingly.  The smoke may be visible in satellite imagery, available via www.weather.gov/sto (near the bottom of the page).
 
To sign up for the Air Quality Health Advisory email list, please visit www.myairdistrict.com.
 

 
Copyright © 2019 Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up for the NSAQMD Plumas-Sierra Health Advisory via our website at myairdistrict.com.

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People v. Jordan Charles Tamietti (CR03983X)
 
On August 1, 2019, Jordan Charles Tamietti, age 25, of Silver Springs, Nevada, was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse (PC 261.5(c); contributing to the delinquency of a minor (PC 272(a)(1); and exhibiting lewd material to a minor (PC 288.2(a)(1). Mr. Tamietti was arrested by the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department.  Mr. Tamietti was given credit for time served and placed on 3 years probation.
 
People v. Candace Caro (CR03977)
 
On August 12, 2019, Candace Caro, age 68, of Phoenix, AZ, was convicted of elder abuse, a violation of Penal Code section 368(c), following an investigation by the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department and Adult Protective Services.  Ms. Caro was placed on 1 year probation and was ordered to pay a fine.
 
People v. April Christine Cassidy (CR04025)
 
On August 20, 2019, April Christine Cassidy, age 30, of Nevada City, was convicted of providing a false name to police officers (PC 148.9(a)), and escape (PC 836.6(b)).  Ms. Cassidy was arrested near Indian Valley following a complaint of trespassing.  Ms. Cassidy was sentenced to 17 days in jail, 3 years probation, and ordered to pay a fine. Ms. Cassidy remains in custody in another county on an outstanding warrant.
 
People v. Dwayne Alan Yancey (CR03986)
 
On August 20, 2019, Dwayne Alan Yancey, age 49, of La Grange, California, was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, with a prior conviction.  Mr. Yancey was arrested by the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department, following a traffic stop near Sierraville.  Mr. Yancey will be sentenced on September 24, 2019.
 
People v. Bradley Garfield Watkins (CR03893X)
 
On August 23, 2019, Bradley Garfield Watkins, age 34, of Grass Valley, was sentenced to 16 months in prison following a conviction of being a prohibited person in possession of a weapon, a violation of Penal Code section 29805(a), a felony.  Watkins was arrested following a search pursuant to traffic stop turned up a rifle.
 
People v. Megan Jean Alexander (CR 03923/CR03924)
 
On August 23, 2019, Megan Jean Alexander, age 31, of Loyalton, was sentenced on two probation violations.  Ms. Alexander was sentenced to 95 days in jail; ordered to complete an in-residency program, and remain on probation.