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Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 3A
Indian Valley Record
Public safety leaders
file ballot measure
A coalition iof sheriffs,
public safety officials and
local government leaders
recently filed the Local Tax-
payers, Public Safety and
Local Services Protection Act
of 2012 with the California
Attorney General's Office.
This statewide constitutional
amendment, aimed for the
November 2012 banot, would
protect existing revenues that
are currentlY dedicated to
fund public safety and other
local services that were shifted
to counties and local govern-
ments as part of the 2011 "re-
alignment" legislation. The
measure would prohibit the
state from raiding or redirect-
ing these funds in the future,
and prohibit the Legislature
from shifting more responsi-
bility to local governments
unless the state provides fund-
ing to pay for the services.
Coalition members said
they filed this measure to
ensure that voters would get
the chance to protect local
funding for local services next
November, and that they will
continue to work with the
administration and other
partners on other potential
alternative measures to pro-
tect local funding.
"Counties are willing and
ready to take on the new
responsibilities of providing
law enforcement and other
Vital local services that were
recently shifted to local gov-
ernments," said Yolo County
Supervisor Mike McGowan,
incoming president of the
California State Association
of Counties. "But in order to
adequately provide these vital
services, counties and local
governments have to be pro-
vided adequate, guaranteed
revenues that the state cannot
raid, shift or borrow for as
long as we are responsible
for these programs. We know
voters support local control
and support the protection of
revenues for local services.
We look forward to placing a
measure on the November
2012 ballot to give voters the
opportunity to once again
protect their local services."
The state Legislature re-
monitoring, tracking and im-
prisoning of certain offenders.
However, the state did not
provide a protected, ongoing
source of guaranteed funding
to pay for the delivery of these
services. The measure:
--Requires the state to
provide counties and local
governments with ongoing
funding to pay for the cost of
providing services that were
recently shifted by the state to
local government.
--Dedicates existing state
revenues, including sales tax
and VLF, and does not raise
taxes.
--Prohibits the state Legis-
lature from raiding or re-
directing these revenues away
from counties and local gov-
ernments unless the services
are shifted back to the state.
--Prohibits the state from
passing any new law or regu-
lation that imposes additional
cently transferred from state costs on local governments to
government to counties and provide services, unless the
other local governments the
responsibility for providing a
number of public services.
These include law enforce-
ment and public safety ser-
vices; care for neglected se-
niors and children; mental
health and substance abuse
recovery programs; and the
state provides ongoing fund-
ing to pay for these services.
--Requires all revenues
from this measure be subject
to annual, independent audits
by the. state controller to en-
sure that they will be used on-
ly for local public safety and
other local services.
Loretz convicted of burglary
Dan McDonald
Staff Writer
dmcdonaldeplumasnews.com
A former Graeagle resident
is facj_ng up to- eight years in
prison after being convicted
of two burglaries.
Rebecca Victoria Loretz,
38, failed to appear in court
Wednesday, Nov. 2; when a
Plumas County jury found
her guilty on four felony
counts.
As of Friday, Nov. 4, she
was wanted on.a bench
warrant for $60i000.:'
Loretz was convicted on
two "serious felony" counts
of residential burglary, two
felony counts of receiving
stolen property and one
misdemeanor count of falsely
reporting a crime.
Loretz burglarized her
father's home and later stole
property from a home she
was renting.
"This was a particularly
difficult and trying case
for the victims and the inves-
tigating officers, ' Plumas
County District Attorney
David Hollister said. "The
defendant perpetrated crimes
not only based on financial
motivation, but also out
of spite.
"I am very pleased the
jury was able to deliver a
swift verdict and provide a
sense of justice for those
harmed."
In late 2009, after months of
dissension with her father,
Loretz was served with a
move-out order forcing her to
leave her father's Graeagle
residence.
After Loretz moved out and
her father took possession of
the home, her father left town
for the weekend.
That's when Loretz broke
into her father's house and
stole about $10,000 worth of
items. Among the items
she took were her deceased
mother's ashes.
Months later, Loretz and
her husband, Martin Loretz,
rented another house in
Graeagle.
While there, Loretz stole
approximately $50,000 worth
of the homeowner's property.
In an effort to conceal
her crime, Loretz called the
police and reported the home
had been burglarized while
she was away.
About a month after the
reported burglary, the
Plumas County Sheriff's
Office served Loretz with
search warrants.
Deputies and detectives
searched Graeagle Mini
storage units rented by
Loretz. They also searched
the home Loretz and her
husband were renting at the
time.
The searches turned up
much of the stolen property
from both of Loretz's burglaries.
The jury trial, which was
presided over by visiting
Judge Carl F. Bryan, lasted
six days. It featured testimony
of 14 witnesses, including
Loretz.
Hollister, who prosecuted
the case, said he owed a lot of
credit to the investigators
and members of the District
Attorney's Office in assisting
with the trial preparation
and presentation.
He especially wished to
thank Plumas County
deputies Mike Meisenheimer,
John Fatheree, Kris Frazier
and Andrea Murana, as well
as detective Jeremy Beatley.
Martin Loretz is awaiting
trial on virtually identical
charges, according to HoUister.
The date of Martin Loretz's
trial is expected to be set on
Thursday, Nov. 10.
BATTLE, from page 1A
Smart said continuing that
agreement is an option. How-
ever, the county could opt to
contract with a community-
based organization that is
already licensed to do
adoptions.
Smart said his department
likely wouldn't recommend
handling the adoption
services in-county because of
the small volume.
"There are a number of
options we would like to take
a look at," Smart told the
board• "And then come back
to you in a couple of months
and make a recommenda-
tion."
The supervisors agreed,
and directed Smart to return
with a plan.
Flu vaccinations
Public Health Director
Mimi Hall told the board she
was pleased with the county's
flu vaccination efforts.
She said there were fewer
people utilizing the drive-
through vaccination clinics,
offered the last week of
October.
"We expected that," Hall
said. "Because earlier in the
year we encouraged people
to see their regular doctor,
or to access some of the
pharmacies that are offering
(flu vaccinations)."
The county began vaccinat-
ing preschool children
and students in the Plumas
Unified School District Tues-
day, Nov. 1.
"Hopefully we will have
a lot of the population
vaccinated and will reduce a
lot of unnecessary flu this
winter," she said.
Fair manager pay cut
The supervisors voted to
approve a pay cut for Plumas-
Sierra County Fair and Event
Manager John Steffanic.
Steffanic volunteered to
take a 50 percent cut in
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the fair budget.
Effective Oct. 23, Steffanic's
pay was reduced from $31.40
to $17.31 per hour.
Steffanic will not receive
county medical, dental or
vision insurance or wellness
benefits.
However, he is entitled to
the same sick leave, vacation
and holiday pay as other
county employees.
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SUE, from page 1A
"This massive payment
reduction will almost imme:
diately threaten the ability of
many hospitals to continue to
operate skilled nursing units.
When these units are forced
to close, it will, at worst,
create significant gaps in
access to such services
for Medi-Cal beneficiaries,
particularly those residing in
already medically under-
served, rural areas and, at
best, cause significant delay
in patients obtaining needed
services," the group said in
court papers• (See sidebar for
access data for Sierra and
Plumas counties.)
"The CHA takes its
argument one step further,
' declaring that the cuts are an
illegal "taking" in violation
of both the United States and
Cali-fornia constitutions.
"The rate reductions are go-
ing to effectively seize the pri-
vate property of hospitals
without adequate compensa-
tion/' the CHA argues in its
complaint.
The group also takes CMS
to task for its decision mak-
ing process. According to
CHA, the feds failed to
properly apply legal stan-
dards to the rate-reduction
decision, to consider relevant
factors and to do so in a trans-
parent manner• CHA says it
and other interested parties
were denied meaningful ac-
cess to the information ex-
changed between CMS and
the state Department of
Health Services.
Board to meet
The Eastern Plumas Health
Care board of directors will
meet Wednesday, Nov. 16, in
Greenville.
Members of the public are
invited to attend and ask
questions.
The meeting is scheduled
for 10:30 a.m. in the Indian
Valley Community Center.
For more information, call
832-6564.
Read all about it
on our Website[
NEED FOR SERVICES
GEOGRAPHIC REMOTENESS
Total population of Plumas
and Sierra counties: 23,296
Plumas County: 2,553.69
square miles, 8.2 people per
square mile
Sierra County: 953.38 square
miles, 3.7 people persquare
mile
AGE OF POPULATION
Plumas County: 19% popula-
tion > 65 years old
Sierra County: 20% of popula-
tion > 65 years old
National average: 12.6% of
population > 65 years old
California average: 10.9% of
population > 65 years old
ACCESS TO CARE
Plumas/Sierra counties:
1 physician per 844 people
State of California:
1 physician per 417 people
Psychiatry coverage in Eastern
Plumas County: one day
per month (Plurnas County
Mental Health)
Number of endocrinologists in
Plumas or Sierra counties: 0
Number of private practice
MDs in Eastern Plumas or
Sierra counties: 0
Number of acute care hospi-
tals in Sierra County: 0
Source: Mark Schweyer, director of
nursing, Eastern Plumas Health Care
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