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Vol. 81,
No. 43
• Feather Publishing Co., Inc.
;lie and all of the Indian Valley Area
• Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011
5O¢
Free flu
vaccine°
limited
Mona Hill
Staff Writer
mhill@ptumasnews.com
Plumas County's Depart-
ment of Public Health and
area hospitals are working
together to ensure any resi-
dent who wants a flu vaccine
can get one.
State budget cuts have
reduced the number of free
doses available to Public
Health, according to director
Mimi Hall.
In 2010, the department
received 4,400 doses; this year
it will receive 2,200 doses: 500
flu mist, 20 pediatric and
1,680 shots.
Hall said her office has re-
quested an additional supply
of 2,000 doses. She added that
there is enough flu mist to
vaccinate all Plumas Unified
School District students: In
addition, Public Health has
plenty of preservative-free
vaccine for pregnant women.
Hall stressed that there
is no shortage of vaccine,
but that it's more a case
of limited amounts of free
vaccine.
See Flu, page 4A
First responder
Plumas County Sheriff's Deputy Phil shannon is first on the scene at a small fire sparked by a lightning strike on North Valley
Road, just across from the main house and barns of the Neer Family Ranch. Pete Neer, not pictured, is racing to the scene with
a load of hay he is trying to get out of the sudden heavy downpour. Photo by Alicia Knadler
Supes
change
course
BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS
ROUNDUP
Dan McDonald
Staff Writer
dmcdonald@plurnasnews.com
Plumas County employees
will not be taking Fridays off
after all.
Two weeks after most of the
cuts and concessions in the
county's 2011-12 budget ap-
peared to be set in stone, the
Board of Supervisors
changed course.
Instead of instituting fur-
loughs to the county's general
fund employees, the supervi-
sors voted unanimously to re-
duce the county's contribu-
tion to employees' retire-
ment.
The change from the Aug.
16 furlough decision will save
the county about $200,000
See Budget, page 5A
Ranchers fit to be tied, over waterfees
Alicla Knadler
Indian Valley Editor
aknadler@plumasnews.corn
The mounting frustration
level of area ranchers is
almost tangible, like smoke
from a fire.
They and other water
rights holders are in a fix
with the increased state
watermaster fees, which for
most will rise by more than
400 percent.
The fees will be on
the property tax bills this
December.
To Taylorsville rancher
Susie Pearce, that means she
needs to find an extra $10,000
or so, .from where she doesn't
know.
"How am I going to make it
pay?" one rancher asked of
his small ranch operation.
"Do hooter farms instead of.
cattle," suggested another.
One couple at the meeting
didn't even know they had
water rights until the water-
master fee suddenly appeared
on their property tax bill in
2009.
They have a mini hobby
"We are being priced out
of our ranches."
Local rancher
ranch with very few animals.
"How can we relinquish
that right?" the husband
asked at one point.
Another resident wondered
the same thing Tuesday, Aug.
30, when several ranchers
and other water rights holders
attended an informational
meeting in Taylorsville,
"Why are we paying $102
an hour for a watermaster,"
Mia Van Fleet asked. "Many
of us can't even afford health
insurance or retirement sav-
ings, but we're supporting
state employees who can."
Members of the group have
taken on leadership roles,
and are trying to gather
information and share it.
One rancher will be in
contact with a lawyer who
will listen to their plight and
share some advice.
Those present agreed to
split the cost of a consulta-
tion.
The situation is being
evaluated at the county level
too, with one idea being
to put all the water rights
holders in the county under
one watermaster hired by
them, not the state.
Members of the group
expressed even more frus-
tration when told if the
county took it over, the job
to monitor water would
See Water, page 4A
Hagwood and Hollister
explain inmate transfers
Dan McDonald
Staff Writer
dmcdonald@plumasnews.com
Plumas County Sheriff
Greg Hagwood has been on a
months-long educational
tour.
Through a series of town-
hall meetings conducted
across the county, the sheriff
has tried to spread the word:
State inmates are coming to
Plumas County. And we need
to be prepared.
One Tuesday, Sept. 6,
District Attorney David
Hollister joined Hagwood as
the educational road show
made a stop in Graeagle.
A standing-room-only
crowd of about 250 people
gathered at the Graeagle Fire
Hall to hear Hagwood and
Hollister break down the
impact of Assembly Bill 109.
Under the new law, which
goes into effect Oct. 1, non-
violent felons who would
have been sent to state
prisons will be sent to the
Plumas County Jail.
To subscribe to the Record,
call 530-283-0800
The two county criminal
justice system leaders con-
veyed a sense of urgency as
they addressed the crowd.
The event was part Power-
Point presentation, part ques-
tion and answer session, and
part community watch meet-
ing, The mood of the crowd
was very serious as Hollister
shared statistics.
"The criminal justice
system as we know it, not
just in Plumas County, but in
California, is undergoing
some of the most Significant
and radical changes that any
of us have ever witnessed in
our lifetimes," HoUister told
the audience.
"This is a game-changer,"
Hollister added; "I think
when our populace under-
stands what Sacramento is
doing, they are going to be
outraged."
H011ister was animated as
he described how small, rural
counties like Plumas were
given very little money by
the state (Plumas gets-less
than $200,000) to help pay for
the influx of prisoners.
The audience collectively
groaned when Hagwood told
them Los Angeles County
was getting almost $160
million to do the same job.
Hagwood and HoUister said
that due to the lack of state
funding, Plumas County is
going to have to be creative
to get the job done.
Hagwood said he is open
to ideas and encouraged
residents to call him.
Later, the audience
applauded when Hagwood
wrote his cellphone number
(394-7809) large enough for
everyone to read on the wall
behind him.
"Call me," Hagwood said.
"If you want to put together
a highly structured, well-
organized neighborhood
watch program, let's do it.
Call me. I will be there."
Hagwood stressed that
neighbors will need to look
out for each other more than
ever.
That is because the new
inmates and parolees could
potentially overwhelm the
county's criminal justice
system.
Hagwood and Hollister
provided projections that in-
cluded the county jail's
67 beds quickly filling to
capacity.
Consequently, there will be
more parolees living in the
county than ever before. The
county will immediately be
responsible for 67 new
parolees Oct. 1.
And offenders who would
traditionally spend time in
jail could be serving their
sentences at home.
"Someone who commits a
drug violation, someone who
See Inmates, page 4A
Studio open for art tour
Sally Yost will open her studio in Indian Valley as part of the Plumas Arts Tour this weekend,
Sept. 17 - 18. Her work includes this painting of Lassen Peak. Russ Flint will open his doors,
too, and patrons can find a collection of custom gold and precious stone jewelry and unique
gifts as Sterling Sage in Greenville. More than a dozen painted quilt squares make up the
Barn Quilt Trail through Taylorsville and Greenville. For more information about other art
tour stops throughout the county, see page lB. Photo courtesy Plurnas Arts