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Basin briefs: Bishop wildfire and more
March 21, 2008
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Assemblyman Gaines Endorses Houston for Placer supervisor
TRUCKEE - Businessman and Placer County supervisor candidate Bob Houston announced that he has been endorsed by California Assemblyman Ted Gaines, who represents the Tahoe Basin.
"Bob is a true fiscal conservative," said Gaines, who served on the Placer County Board of Supervisors prior to being elected to the Assembly. "He is uniquely qualified to serve the people of Placer County."
Houston, who is running against incumbent Bruce Kranz and Jennifer Montgomery for the District 5 seat, welcomed the backing.
"I am proud to have the support of Assemblyman Gaines," said Houston. "I am deeply committed to making a difference in Placer County by winning this race. His endorsement represents one part of a broad coalition of people that I will represent on the board."
Houston has committed to donating his Placer County Board of Supervisors salary, should he be elected, to charitable groups within his district.
The commitment is consistent with his desire for a smaller more efficient government, he said.
Houston is a businessman that lives in Meadow View with his wife Arlene.
Wildfire near Bishop, Calif. eases as high winds die down
BISHOP (AP) - A wildfire burning along the Owens River in rural Inyo County was 60 percent contained Tuesday.
Improved mapping of the fire scaled down its size to 648 acres from an initial estimate of 1,400 acres, said Bill Peters, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire, burning in the Chalk Bluff area north of Bishop, was expected to be fully surrounded Tuesday night.
About 400 firefighters were battling the blaze.
Peters said the fire started about 12:30 p.m. Sunday when a camp stove used by three Southern California fishermen ignited vegetation in windy weather. Peters said the men turned themselves in.
The fire is in an area below the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada, more than 200 miles north of Los Angeles.
Forest Service plans trails project
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The U.S. Forest Service is seeking public comment on improving the system of trails serving beaches on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe.
"The East Shore beach area's popularity has continued to increase, creating a need to develop an efficient and integrated system of trails, while better protecting the environment," said project leader Garrett Villanueva.
The Forest Service will eliminate some user-created trails and rerout other trails to reduce erosion and run-off into the lake.
The entire project is in Nevada, extending from Spooner Summit north to Chimney Beach and from the water's edge to Nevada State Park lands.
Crews would decommission about 1.6 miles of user-created trails, upgrade 3.5 miles of user-created trails and construct 2.2 miles of new trail.
The project aims to route trails away from stream environment zones and other sensitive areas, protecting water quality and sensitive wildlife habitat.
Information kiosks would encourage "pack-in, pack-out" practices and signs would direct users to stay on system trails.
The Forest Service would install fencing and signs to protect sensitive resources.
Comments should be received by March 28. The Forest Service anticipates starting the project in July.
The proposed action and a map are posted at www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/projects. For more information, contact Garrett Villanueva, (530) 543-2762.
Truckee offers assistance for first-time home buyers, home repairs
TRUCKEE - The Town of Truckee has $600,000 in state funding to help both with first-time homebuyers and those who need help repairing their homes.
The first will give down-payment assistance to eligible first-time home buyers.
The loans are deferred, at 3 percent interest, and up to $38,000 per loan is available.
Housing purchased must be within the Town of Truckee.
The second program is the Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation program that provides loans to income-eligible homeowners to make repairs to their homes.
These loans are also deferred, at 3 percent interest, and up to $38,000 per loan is available.
To be eligible for either program, the total household income must be at or below 80 percent of the Nevada County median income.
This means, for example, a household of one can make no more than $36,450, and a household of four can make no more than $52,100.
To get a full application, contact JoAnn Anders, program operator, at (530) 272-5395 or j.anders@att.net.
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