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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 19 December 2012

Caltrans announced that Karla Sutliff has been appointed as California’s chief engineer – the first woman to be appointed to the position.

As chief engineer and deputy, Sutliff is responsible for all engineering aspects of the department’s construction projects statewide from their design through the completion of construction.

She will oversee a program of more than 9,000 employees and an annual budget of $1.8 billion.

Sutliff has been with Caltrans for 26 years, and over the past 11 years, she served as the chief over several Caltrans divisions, including Design, Traffic Operations, and Project Management. She also filled the role of Acting District 8 (San Bernardino) Director in 2008.  

Sutliff graduated from the University of California at Davis with a bachelor of science in civil engineering and is a licensed civil engineer.

The chief engineer position was created in 1974. Prior to that, the position was called State Highway Engineer. Here are the persons who previously held those titles:

A. B. Fletcher 1911-1923
R. M. Morton 1923-1927
C. H. Purcell 1927-1943
G. T. McCoy 1943-1959
J. W. Vickrey 1959
J. C. Womack 1959-1967
J. A. Legarra 1967-1971
R. J. Datel 1971-1975
C. E. Forbes 1975-1980
W. E. Schaefer 1980-1990
R. P. Weaver 1990-1997
R. Coleman 1998-2000
B. Felker 2000-2003
M. Leonardo 2004 (Acting)
R. Land 2005-2011
R. Pieplow 2011-2012 (Acting)

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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 19 December 2012

Attorney General Kamala Harris reported Tuesday that 2,000 firearms were seized from individuals legally barred from possessing them, including persons determined to be mentally unstable and those with active restraining orders.

“California has clear laws determining who can possess firearms based on their threat to public safety,” said Harris. “Enforcing those laws is crucial because we have seen the terrible tragedies that occur when guns are in the wrong hands. This program is an important part of our law enforcement work and I thank all of the agents who work so hard every day to keep our communities safe.”

In 2012, 33 Department of Justice agents used the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database to identify individuals prohibited from owning guns, including convicted felons, individuals with active restraining orders, and those determined to be mentally unstable.

In total, DOJ agents seized 2,033 firearms, 117,000 rounds of ammunition, and 11,072 illegal high capacity magazines. These numbers include seizures conducted from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 2012.

The majority of firearms were seized during two six-week sweeps.

The first statewide sweep targeted individuals prohibited because of mental health issues and the second focused on people with legally registered assault weapons who were later prohibited from owning them.

In 2011, Attorney General Harris sponsored legislation to increase funding for the Department of Justice’s APPS program through the use of existing regulatory fees collected by gun dealers. Senate Bill 819 passed in June 2011 and became law on January 1, 2012.

The APPS database cross-references five databases to find people who legally purchased handguns and registered assault weapons since 1996 with people who are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. The database was completed in November 2006, and the first statewide sweep was conducted in 2007.

Since Attorney General Harris took office, there have been three statewide APPS sweeps. The Department of Justice leads these efforts with the support of local law enforcement agencies.

California is the first and only state in the nation to establish an automated system for tracking handgun and assault weapon owners who might fall into a prohibited status.

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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 19 December 2012

A comprehensive U.S. Forest Service report released Tuesday examines the ways expanding populations, increased urbanization, and changing land-use patterns could profoundly impact natural resources, including water supplies, nationwide during the next 50 years.

Significantly, the study shows the potential for significant loss of privately-owned forests to development and fragmentation, which could substantially reduce benefits from forests that the public now enjoys including clean water, wildlife habitat, forest products and others.

“We should all be concerned by the projected decline in our nation’s forests and the corresponding loss of the many critical services they provide such as clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, wood products and outdoor recreation,” said Agriculture Under Secretary Harris Sherman.

Sherman said the report offers “a sobering perspective on what is at stake and the need to maintain our commitment to conserve these critical assets.”

U.S Forest Service scientists and partners at universities, non-profits and other agencies found urban and developed land areas in the U.S. will increase 41 percent by 2060.  

Forested areas will be most impacted by this growth, with losses ranging from 16 to 34 million acres in the lower 48 states. The study also examines the effect of climate change on forests and the services forests provide.

Most importantly, over the long-term, climate change could have significant effects on water availability, making the US potentially more vulnerable to water shortages, especially in the Southwest and Great Plains.  

Population growth in more arid regions will require more drinking water. Recent trends in agricultural irrigation and landscaping techniques also will boost water demands.

“Our nation’s forests and grasslands are facing significant challenges.  This assessment strengthens our commitment to accelerate restoration efforts that will improve forest resiliency and conservation of vitally important natural resources,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell.

The assessment’s projections are influenced by a set of scenarios with varying assumptions about U.S. population and economic growth, global population and economic growth, global wood energy consumption and U.S. land use change from 2010 to 2060. Using those scenarios, the report forecasts the following key trends:

• Forest areas will decline as a result of development, particularly in the South, where population is projected to grow the most;
• Timber prices are expected to remain relatively flat;
• Rangeland area is expected to continue its slow decline but rangeland productivity is stable with forage sufficient to meet expected livestock grazing demands;
• Biodiversity may continue to erode because projected loss of forestland will impact the variety of forest species;
• Recreation use is expected to trend upward.  

Additionally, the report stresses the need to develop forest and rangeland policies which are flexible enough to be effective under a wide range of future socioeconomic and ecological conditions such as climate change.

The Forest and Rangelands Renewable Service Resources Planning Act of 1974 requires the Forest Service to produce an assessment of natural resource trends every 10 years.

The Forest Service manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.

Forest Service lands contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $27 billion per year.