Reminiscing the ‘50s with Cow County Stories
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Carmichael resident, Retired Undersheriff Bert Seymour, has, at age 96, completed a book of reminiscences about his 29+ years serving the people of Ventura County in the Sheriff’s Department. The book explains why he has entitled it Cow County Lawman.
Wondering what to do after having returned from serving in Europe in WWII, he answered an ad in the local paper for a fingerprint technician for the Sheriff’s Department. He liked the idea of riding a horse in the Sheriff’s posse like he had seen in parades when he was growing up in Ventura. He soon found out that deputies don’t ride in the parades, wealthy ranchers ride in the posse. However, he became the first deputy hired after The War.
Humor is one of his primary reasons for writing. “In this time of dire news and upsetting events, I would like to offer a light touch,” he says of his approach. He believes that young people will enjoy learning what it was like in the ‘50s and those old enough to remember will get a chuckle. He and his wife of 70 years, Nancy, still love these stories.
The Seymours moved to Sacramento in 1992 after Bert’s second retirement to be nearer their three children. In May of 2018 they moved into Atria Senior Independent Living in Carmichael.
6th Annual Wildlife Care Association Photo Contest Takes Flight!
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - BIRD is the Word! The 6th Annual Wildlife Care Association Fall Photo Contest takes flight! Take a picture on your mobile or your camera. Enter FREE under 12 or make a donation to rehab wildlife! You could be the 2020 Wildlife Care Photo Contest winner! Get outside and give us your best shot of a bird or birds in your backyard, local park or Sacramento area wild location. Easy!
Submit your picture on the Wildlife Care Association Facebook page as a message with photo attachment. Contest is open between October 1 to December 31, 2020. Entries can be made in two categories- Under 12 years old you can enter FREE! Those over 12 are asked to include a minimum $5.00 donation to WCA on the Facebook donate link for each entry. (Under 18 yrs old? Ask your parents to help!)
Submissions should include your email, the location photo was taken, and your best guess what type of bird this might be. Enter @wildlifecareassociation on Facebook.
Each photo may be entered once, but individuals may submit more than one. Enter often and donate to help the WCA heroes of nature save thousands of injured, orphaned and displaced wildlife every year. The non-profit wildlife rehabilitation volunteers depend on the community for their support giving wildlife a second chance to live.
The WCA Photo Contest winner will be awarded a special prize including a guided tour of the Dome at McClellan Park, their photo featured in WCA Facebook/Instagram as a hero of nature!
Give us the bird! Snap some shots, submit them and let’s see if they fly! For more information call 916-965-WILD
Fine Print: One picture will be chosen from submissions to determine a winner. WCA staff reserves the right to select a winner from content and other factors including artistic merit. All photos submitted become the property of WCA for its use in outreach, education and fundraising.
Wine for Wildlife Care this October!
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Pour a glass for wildlife rehab with a special edition of the virtual wine tasting kits from the innovative Sacramento vintner Kevin Luther. His special blends will raise funds for the volunteers at the non-profit Wildlife Care Association this October. Order a wine tasting kit to be delivered directly to your door and join WCA volunteers and Ambassador Animals in a special Facebook Live & YouTube video event on Saturday, October 24th at 5pm.
Order your kit at www.voluptuarywine.com/virtual-tasting and $5.00 from every order goes directly to save wildlife at Wildlife Care Association. Order Now!
Wines include “Pollination” Chenin Blanc, “Urban Flora” Rose, “The Source” Pinot Noir/Grenache blend, “Da Vinci’s Wings” Zinfandel and “Wanderlust” Dark Red. Delivered to your door 1-2 weeks prior to the live event.
You may also make a direct donation to support volunteers who take in more than 6000 injured, orphan or displaced birds and small animals every year at WCA at www.voluptuarywine.com/new-products/wca
Double the donation as Voluptuary Wines will match every additional dollar donated!
Then join the fun as WCA volunteers showcase their work with the Animal Ambassadors, discuss vineyard owls and environmentally friendly, organic pest control and taste wines led by Vintner Kevin Luther, owner and winemaker at Voluptuary and Lucid Wines on Facebook and YouTube video.
For more than 45 years the Sacramento Wildlife Care Association volunteer, non-profit wildlife rehabilitation group has helped balance the environment and maintain regional quality of life by giving thousands of birds and small animals a second chance to live!
Visit www.wildlifecareassociation.com to learn more. Become a volunteer when you email volunteer@wildlifecareassociation.com
Utility Box Art Wrap Program: Call for Artists
RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The City of Rancho Cordova is committed to fostering a beautiful and creative community where people live, work, learn and play. To support this commitment, the city is seeking artists or teams of artists to propose art wrap designs for utility boxes, and possibly other fixtures, within the community.
Artists 16 years and older within the greater Sacramento region may apply including Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties. It is anticipated that approximately 20-25 boxes and fixtures will be wrapped as part of this program. Artwork will be installed in a public place and must be suitable for viewing by all ages.
If chosen, the artist will receive a $750 stipend for each utility box art wrap design that is selected. All proposals must be received by the city no later than September 30, 2020 at 5 PM.
How to Apply:
Visit CityofRanchoCordova.org/CommunityEnhancementFund and submit:
A completed application; Image of the proposed artwork in a JPEG file format or as a hard copy (see application for instructions); Artists or teams of artists may only submit one proposed piece of artwork per application but may submit up to three applications.
To learn more, visit CityofRanchoCordova.org/CommunityEnhancementFund.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (MPG) - Whether it’s earthquakes, wildfires, winter storms, health pandemic or power outages, Californians need to be prepared for any emergency or disaster. That’s why Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has launched a new tool on our online Safety Action Center that helps customers be prepared.
By using the “Make Your Own Emergency Plan” tool and answering a few short questions, visitors to the website can compile and organize the important information needed for a family’s personalized emergency plan. This includes important phone numbers, escape routes and a family meeting location if an evacuation is necessary. It also includes reminders to check smoke-detector batteries and when to practice your family emergency drills.
Once completed, the personal emergency plan can be printed and shared with the rest of the family.
“Wildfire season in California had started. We want to help our customers and communities prepare for a wildfire, a safety power shutoff or a natural disaster,” said Laurie Giammona, PG&E chief customer officer and a senior vice president. “That’s why we have created the Safety Action Center. And we know that each customers’ situation is unique, which is why this new tool lets customers create a personal emergency plan that works for them and their families.”
The Safety Action Center was launched in 2019 and includes videos, quizzes, step-by-step guides and tips to help keep families safe during wildfires, earthquakes, power outages and other emergency situations. On the site, you’ll find:
Ten tips to keep cool during a heat wave; A video that shows you the six steps to put together an emergency kit; Tips on how to prepare for a power shutoff; Advice on creating defensible space around your house; How to help your community during the COVID-19 health crisis; And much more.
The Safety Action Center is just one of many ways that PG&E is working to mitigate wildfire risk and enhance public safety as part of the Community Wildfire Safety Program. To learn more about safety progress so far in 2020 as well as how PG&E is going to make any needed Public Safety Power Shutoffs smaller in the number of customers impacted, shorter in duration and smarter by integrating new technology, visit the Safety Action Center at safetyactioncenter.pge.com.
A Freeway for Fish
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - A two-year, $9.7 million project extending Nimbus Hatchery’s famous fish ladder into Nimbus Basin is half complete. The hatchery’s 65-year-old ladder will soon serve for a final season and the new passage will open next summer.
Existing hatchery steps rise for a fraction of the 1,900ft channel currently under construction. Via a circuitous route, the new piscine freeway will conduct Chinook salmon and steelhead to hatchery processes that began after Nimbus and Folsom Dam were built. In the Department of Fish and Wildlife facility, eggs and milt are harvested for artificial fertilization. Edible fish meat is saved for food closet distribution and in spring, millions of fry are released. Once endangered, Chinook adults now return in reliable numbers for fall breeding.
The current ladder system employs connected pickets to divert fish to hatchery steps. Though many adults spawn and die before reaching this weir, the altered American River provides insufficient breeding sites. In mitigation, many thousands of salmonids are annually processed at Nimbus. Hell-bent on reproduction, their end-of-life journey through Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Rancho Cordova and Gold River provides an autumn spectacle for nature lovers. In preparation for the 2020 run, weir pickets were recently lowered. When water temperatures reach November frigidity, ladder gates will open and the hatchery’s vital work will resume.
Upstream, the new ladder entrance has already been built. Engineered by the Bureau of Reclamation, the massive extension project begins near the south side of Nimbus Dam. Migratory fish will next year gain an extra quarter-mile of river for natural spawning; those that reach the dam unfulfilled will be lured by churning water to a rock-lined flume. Swimming gradually uphill, they’ll encounter a pond and steps. Lookouts (including an underwater window) will enhance visitor views. “We’ve wanted a submerged window for ages,” approves Nimbus interpretive specialist Laura Draft. “Fish anatomy and adaptations are more visible underwater. This makes for more exciting visitor experiences.”
The Roseville-based firm of J.R. Conkey heads the construction. Syblon Reid contractors (Folsom) will pour 2,030 cubic feet of flume concrete. Oaks and cottonwood trees in the four-acre project area have been largely preserved. This piscine freeway will pass under Hazel Bridge, paralleling a realigned bike trail. Banks between the hatchery and the dam are already permanently closed to anglers. A future program will augment Nimbus Basin shoals to encourage natural spawning.
The autumn phenomenon of massive Chinooks challenging the hatchery weir will end when this aging barrier becomes redundant and is removed. BLR project manager Mark Curney welcomes the eventuality. “The weir has maintenance and safety issues,” he explains. “In years with big storm flows, serious damage has occurred. We’ve had to reduce river flow for up to five days for repairs. Our project will improve public and employee safety. It will also reduce costs and increase the hatchery’s operational flexibility.”
Nimbus Hatchery is located at 2001 Nimbus Rd, Gold River. Due to COVID restrictions, operations are now closed to the public. Facility parking is open and the 2020 salmon-run may be viewed from walking trails. Limited ladder viewing is possible from November to March. For more information, visit: www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/hatcheries/nimbus.
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - At a special meeting last month, the Carmichael Water District (CWD) Board of Directors considered a contract with certified public accountants Richardson and Company for a special procedures audit of employee benefits payments. The employee benefits in question are those that had been granted without Board approval—such as education/training benefits, deferred compensation, life insurance, and leave benefits. The unauthorized benefits were already terminated earlier this year. After an Ad Hoc Compensation Policy Committee review process, the life insurance and deferred compensation benefits were then reinstated, and the education/training benefit was reinstated with decreased allowances.
The scope of the audit focuses on the review of benefits granted to nine exempt employees from July 2010 through July 2020, with the option to extend back to 2003. Richardson and Company will review the management handbooks and personnel manual to determine the approved benefits offered to each position. The approved benefits will be compared to received benefits in the following categories: leave time, deferred compensation, life insurance, health benefits, auto allowances and mileage reimbursements, and cell phone and other allowances. The audit will also review the education/training benefits granted to all District employees during the specified timeframe.
Richardson and Company will also examine a list of payments made to employees from July 2010 to July 2020 to determine if there were any unauthorized payments that would indicate personal use of CWD funds or resources. The tax implications of the various benefits will be evaluated to determine whether the received amounts were included in employees’ reported income, if required by IRS code.
This audit will cost between $39,250 and $81,130, depending on the actual hours billed. Additional costs ranging from $22,000 to $38,000 will be incurred if the Board decides to extend to scope of work back to 2003.
During public comment on this contract, CWD Human Resources Coordinator Lori Kalisiak said, “The Board has not requested any of the information requested in the scope of this contract, with the exception of the amount of the deferred compensation paid under the management handbook that was provided in April, and now you’re contemplating spending this incredible amount of District funds to analyze the data when it doesn’t appear that even basic research has been done in regards to that.” She also said that the scope of the audit “again implies wrongdoing on the part of the targeted employees, including myself.”
Director Ron Greenwood mentioned that some of the issues were discussed in closed session: “Leave it to be said that we have some issues that came up, some questions that came up, and we’re just trying to address those questions. And for my own edification as a Director, I want to know the answers.”
Director Mark Emmerson said he believes it is the Board’s “fiduciary responsibility” to determine the extent of benefits granted in the past without Board authorization. “My hope is that … the compensation was within the scope of what we have as a policy, and that will be the end of it. But we’ll just have to see. … I’m willing to spend that money to find that out.”
Director Roy Leidy asked what the Board planned to do with the information from the audit: “What’s the Board’s strategy here? Just to find out something and then decide what to do? Is that how you want to approach it, as opposed to trying to resolve this amicably and fairly with our staff.”
Board President Paul Selsky said there had not yet been a discussion on strategy: “I think we get an independent audit, see what it says, and then I think the Board will deliberate and decide what’s best for the District.”
Director Jeff Nelson said he’s tried to be fair during this process, but he mentioned staff members who have been “very hostile and indignant toward the Board, and I don’t really think that is warranted. … The Board is in charge of the District, and I feel there’s been tremendous disrespect shown to the Board. With that being said, I hope that we find out that nothing has transpired that’s inappropriate. … But I wish that staff members would tone it down a little bit.”
Director Greenwood said that as elected officials, they have “a responsibility to make sure that our District is run properly. … I think we owe it to the people we represent to get these answers. … This is not a witch hunt. I do not look at it that way.”
Director Leidy pointed out that the audit doesn’t address a major concern: How often were these issues missed by the Board over the years? How many times were the unauthorized benefits part of the budget that the Board approved? “If there is any culpability, we’re partly to blame,” said Leidy. “And if we didn’t notice it, shame on us. … To me, that seems like it’s part of the equation that should be addressed as well. And yet it’s not.”
Director Greenwood said that Leidy was “trying to divert the attention away from the facts at hand … and you’re trying to throw it back on the Board. … I take exception to that.”
Director Leidy clarified that he just wanted the Board’s actions, or inactions, included in the discussion: “This is not a level playing field. This is a witch hunt toward exempt staff. Period. There’s nothing in this that says maybe we, the Board, should also be investigated for not paying attention. … I don’t get why we’re so uninterested in our own performance.”
Director Emmerson suggested that a later review could be implemented to address Leidy’s concerns. He said that after more than 20 years on the Board, “I need to be assured that I’m doing my job.” President Selsky and Directors Greenwood and Nelson agreed.
The Board voted on the Richardson and Company contract, approving it 4-1, with Director Leidy dissenting. According to the contract, the audit will be completed and presented to the Board within 60 days of approval. So, the report should be submitted by mid-September.