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Congressman Mike Thompson, chair of a congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (CA-5) and vice-chairs of the task force met on Monday with Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to discuss a comprehensive approach to reduce and prevent gun violence.
“Meaningful progress towards reducing and preventing gun violence cannot be made by just one branch of government,” said Thompson. “Our task force looks forward to working with the Vice President, the Obama Administration and all stakeholders to enact a comprehensive set of proposals that both respects the 2nd Amendment rights of law abiding citizens without a history of dangerous mental illness, and helps keep our schools, streets and communities safe from gun violence.”
Congressman Thompson was joined in the meeting by vice-chairs of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force: Rep. Ron Barber (AZ), Rep. John D. Dingell (MI), Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY), Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO), Rep. Bobby Scott (VA) and Rep. Jackie Speier (CA).
Over the next several weeks the task force will hold a number of meetings and hearings with different experts designed to identify the best policies to reduce and prevent gun violence. A comprehensive set of policy proposals will be released by the task force in early February.
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The California Fish and Game Commission will consider a petition to give threatened or endangered species status to the West Coast great white shark population at its meeting early next month.
The commission meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 6, and Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Natural Resources Building, First Floor Auditorium, 1416 Ninth St., Sacramento.
At that time, the commission may take action on whether or not to accept the petition and declare the Northeast Pacific population of great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, as a candidate for future threatened or endangered species status under the California Endangered Species Act.
If the petition is accepted, the commission will start a one-year status review before a decision on listing is made, state officials reported.
In preparation for the meeting, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released a staff evaluation of the listing petition, which is available at http://dfg.ca.gov/news/pubnotice/ or can be seen below.
In completing the petition evaluation, CDFW determined there is sufficient scientific information to indicate that the petition action may be warranted, and recommended the petition be accepted and considered by the California Fish and Game Commission.
Last August, Oceana, the Center for Biological Diversity and SharkStewards filed a scientific petition with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Washington, D.C., seeking to protect the West Coast population of great white sharks under the Endangered Species Act, filing shortly thereafter to seek protection for the apex predator under California’s Endangered Species Act.
The groups cited as impetus for the petitions findings that showed the unique West Coast white shark populations to be “alarmingly low” and on the brink of extinction.
A chief danger to the sharks that the groups cited was the use of gillnets, which it was estimated account for more than 80 percent of captures of young white sharks in nursery areas, where the juvenile sharks are taken as bycatch during commercial fishing.
Other challenges for young white sharks include mercury levels – the groups said the sharks have been found to have mercury levels that are the second-highest worldwide – and the highest levels observed globally of contaminants PCB and DDT in liver tissue.
The West Coast great white sharks, according to the petition, are genetically distinct and isolated from all other great white sharks around the globe.
The Northeast Pacific great white shark population extends from Mexico north to the Bering Sea and west to Hawaii, with the petition explaining that they are found primarily from Mexico to Oregon, both inshore and offshore areas, and from the continental shelf west to a common foraging area between the West Coast of North America and Hawaii known as the Shared Offshore Foraging Area, or SOFA.
The SOFA is described in the petition as a “vast area of deep open water habitat” shared by great white sharks from both central California and Guadalupe Island, Mexico. During the sharks' offshore migration adults from the Northeast Pacific shark population spend from six to 16 months feeding in the area.
The petition estimated that there are 339 adult and sub-adults in the great white shark's Northeast Pacific population.
Great white sharks’ survival outlook is made more challenging because, as the documents point out, they are low in abundance, late to mature and have few offspring.
The state's analysis found the petition’s great white shark population estimate to be based “on debatable assumptions such as a closed population at one of the aggregation sites,” and goes on to point out that there is no population trend information available for the Northeast Pacific shark group.
California gave great white sharks special protected status in 1994, with new laws instituted at that time that prohibited the sharks from being taken except by special permit granted by the state. Commercial take also was prohibited except for state permitted scientific and educational purposes.
The laws, however, allow for incidental take of the sharks by roundhaul or gill nets, and any sharks landed live may be sold for scientific or live display purposes, although a state permit is required, the petition analysis documents explain.
Check the commission Web site, www.fgc.ca.gov , for more information.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Planning Commission will meet this week to hold a public hearing on a variance request and to discuss a proposed ordinance regarding the regulation of medical marijuana cultivation in the city limits.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Gurdarshan Singh has requested the variance and notice of exemption for the Shell gas station at 14091 Lakeshore Drive.
Singh is asking for a maximum building area of 3,000 square feet to be increased to allow for an accessory dwelling unit.
The parcel currently has a 2,538 square foot convenience store and a 1,074 square foot gas station canopy. City staff is recommending approval.
The commission on Tuesday also will hold an initial discussion regarding a proposed ordinance that would prohibit or limit commercial medical marijuana cultivation in the city.
The draft ordinance, a copy of which can be seen below, proposes cultivation bans on vacant parcels and within 600 feet of public or private schools, and requires that grows be screened with plants not to exceed 6 feet in height.
The ordinance would require collectives and cooperatives to maintain evidence at grow sites that they are organized according to the California Attorney General’s guidelines.
In addition, it would limit parcels of one acre or less to a total of six plants, with 12 plants allowed on larger parcels. No cultivation would be allowed within mobile home parks unless management has designated a specific garden area. Cultivation would be banned on apartment complex properties.
The amount of marijuana that could be processed on a parcel would be limited to the amount of marijuana that the ordinance allows to be grown there, according to the draft document.
Marijuana grows that violate the rules set out in the draft ordinance would be declared public nuisances. Violations would be punishable as a misdemeanor by a fine of no more than $100 on the first offense, $300 on the second, and $500 or up to six months in county jail – or both – for the third offense, the draft document states.
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January 2013 - Clearlake Draft Medical Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance by LakeCoNews
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit Authority has received a state funding allocation to assist it with purchasing new buses for its fleet.
The California Transportation Commission last week allocated the agency $718,000 to purchase five diesel-powered buses.
The commission distributed a total of $64 million to 43 projects that will reduce traffic congestion and repair highways, local streets, and bridges.
“We are putting transportation dollars to work supporting jobs and making improvements that will benefit Californians now and for decades to come,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty.
The allocations include $42 million from Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved by voters in 2006, the commission reported.
In total, approximately $14.7 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been distributed statewide, according to the commission. The remaining allocations of $22 million came from assorted transportation accounts funded by state and federal dollars.
Mark Wall, Lake Transit Authority general manager, said they plan to purchase five cleaner burning diesel buses – which he said run more efficiently than gas-powered buses – using the state allocation, which they applied for six years ago.
He said the goal is to combine the $718,000 with $1.3 million in Proposition 1D funds that Lake Transit previously received to purchase heavy duty buses, which he said will hold up better, provide a better ride for passengers and require less maintenance.
The heavy duty buses are what would be seen in larger cities. The buses currently used in the county are considered medium duty, with a seven-year, 200,000 mile lifespan, compared to the 12 years and 400,000 miles possible with heavy duty vehicles, which is important because the buses run a lot of miles in Lake County, he said.
Wall said Lake Transit is part of a consortium being run by the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, which is working on behalf of about 12 transit agencies to get bids on the buses.
Once the bid has been awarded, Wall said Lake Transit can ask the winning contractor to test some of their buses.
The biggest buses Lake Transit currently has are about 30 feet long. Wall said they would like to go up a size, to 35 feet, in order to have more room for passengers.
That's important, because Wall said Lake Transit's ridership has continued to expand.
“Ridership is looking very good,” he said. “It is continuing to grow.”
Lake Transit also is planning to expand its evening service hours, Wall said.
He said it will take about a year and a half to two years to get the new buses in service. In the meantime, they may buy some new medium duty buses to help meet the immediate ridership needs.
Lake Transit's fleet currently has 23 buses. With the addition of the new, heavy duty vehicles, Wall said they should be stocked up on buses.
He said Lake Transit will be doing a new transit development plan this year, and that will set the direction for how they grow and if they need to add any more vehicles in the future.
Other projects around the North Coast that received funds from the commission last week included $20,000 for the construction of sidewalks and bike lanes on School Road between Fisher Road and Salmon Avenue in McKinleyville in Humboldt County.
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