And just like that, the pasture is dry again. More rain is on the way – at least that’s what the weatherfolks say – so don’t feel guilty about enjoying the sunshine. If future precipitation could come without the words torrential or flood being used, that would be nice, too. No sense watching it all flow downstream.
The visitors in Red Bluff for the Bull and Gelding Sale were treated to blue skies and warm afternoons and that’s a good thing. When you spend $40,000 on a stock dog, the last thing you want is cold wind and rain pelting you while you’re picking his golden poop up off the sidewalk.
Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale – photo by Chip Thompson, Red Bluff Daily News
All week I’ve been dying to stand outside the Palomino Room to see the faces of the cattle industry people when they realize part of the PR has been turned into a cannabis dispensary. “What in tarnation?” Of course, today’s beef purveyors are smart and eager to implement the latest technology to raise healthy – and delicious – cattle, so maybe they’ll try some gummies or other natural pain relief. Riding the range is tough on a body.
Conjoined Twins Sundial Collective Red Bluff and Palomino Room
And speaking of bodies, they’re starting to show up at the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office. Not that kind of bodies – the kind that want jobs. Sheriff Dave Kain announced at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting that patrol services will be restored to 24 hours per day, 7 days a week beginning February 26th. Additionally, the main office will resume full operations Monday-Friday, 8am – 4pm beginning February 1st.
TCSO’s Facebook page update
A post on TCSO’s Facebook page further explains, “The catastrophic staffing crisis that forced us to suspend services has begun to improve, thanks in part to the significant salary increases our Deputy Sheriffs recently received. Our recruiting has increased and even caused Deputies who left for other Agencies to return to the Sheriff’s Office. Although we are still significantly understaffed, we believe that a continued solid and cooperative relationship with the Board of Supervisors and the Chief Administrator will continue to help us rebuild our staffing levels.”
Those raises were a result of the Comp Study which was implemented in late 2022. Hundreds of county employees got raises and that’s terrific. We need to pay our skilled and loyal employees what they are worth. Where is the money to pay for these raises? I have no idea, but it’s clear that the Budget Committee will have to sharpen its blades and do some serious cutting this year.
This ties in with saving money by updating technology to eliminate waste, and the agenda item for an Information Technology Coordinator was discussed Tuesday. Two months ago this would have been a slam dunk, because everyone knows IT is one area that sorely needs improvement. It probably would have been left up to CAO Gabriel Hydrick to figure out what it would look like. But this new board is more hands on and wants to be involved in big decisions. Is it a part time or full time position? Is it an in-house job or contracted to a service provider? So many terrific points were made that need to be considered.
CAO Gabriel Hydrick – photo courtesy Tehama County website
I won’t go into them all here, but it’s remarkable how the new board actually considers implications, engages in thoughtful discussion, and debates politely without digs or misogyny. Supervisor Leach is still recuperating at home, but he is an even tempered, intelligent man and will add even more to these conversations. If this keeps up I may have to find a new gig.
Ultimately, the board voted to hold a study session on the IT Coordinator, and that’s exactly what is needed. There are just too many things to consider. If any of you tech savvy readers want to add your two cents, please do.
There was another item Tuesday that also would have been a slam dunk just two months ago, but failed. DA Matt Rogers came before the board to request two new positions be added to his department. He had funding to create them which didn’t come from the General Fund, so it wasn’t a budget issue. It could be in the future, if his alternate sources dried up, but he had it covered for now.
DA Matt Rogers – photo courtesy Red Bluff Daily News
New District 4 Supe Matt Hansen had done his homework on this item and made a compelling argument against its passage. First, the DA’s office is the only department in the county that is fully staffed. That was a surprise – I didn’t know any departments were at 100%.
Hansen also pointed out that many of the current DA personnel came from other local law enforcement agencies. With the Sheriff’s Department struggling just to get back to minimum operational staffing, they don’t need to lose any more peeps to the DA.
Rogers was denied his request, but this doesn’t mean he doesn’t need those extra staff members. He must or he wouldn’t be asking, right? All departments need to tighten their belts until better minds than mine can figure out where to cut costs enough to make just staying afloat possible. We’re not going to be blessed with tens of millions of dollars in Covid funding every decade.
The board also discussed changing the start time of their meetings to 9am. Currently, they have Closed Session at 8:30am, but those often run over and they have to return at the end of the Regular Agenda. The proposed plan is to start at 9, then have Closed Session at the end of the regular meeting. That seems more efficient, but I hope they will consider making the Public Comments portion a timed agenda item – say 10am or whatever seems convenient to them. Some of us in the farther reaches of the county have a tough time getting into town before 9 – especially in winter when it’s not light out until after 7. We have chores to do, you know.
Complaint Department – Groundwater Executive Justin Jenson told me that citizens have been threatening him with physical violence while “spouting” words from this column. That is disturbing and doesn’t help the situation at all. Come to the meetings, write letters, ask questions, make your opinion heard. No hitting.
Justin Jenson
Of course, blaming one columnist’s opinion for the threats is silly. People are not happy about the surveys they are being asked to fill out about their wells. The Groundwater Sustainability Agency has not made it clear to the public why they think this is necessary. I was mistakenly under the impression that the well registry was required by the state. It is not. Groundwater Sustainability is required and the public questions the relationship between the two.
Citizens are also not happy about the fee attached to their property taxes to pay for the registry over the next 3 years. I filled out my survey and mailed it back with a downloaded copy of my original well report that I found on the . Not every well is on the map, but it would be a better place to start gathering information than to ask citizens. Our well report has tons of relevant information, including depth, static water level, casing size, soil composition, and more.
The public workshop for the registry survey on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. at the Red Bluff Community Center may help everyone – including the Groundwater Commission – understand each other better.
