Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

“Larry Burkhardt, president and CEO of Upstate Colorado Economic Development, has left his position after serving six years leading the organization that seeks to promote Weld County,” according to the Northern Colorado Business Report

“Burkhardt, 62, is a former Longmont mayor and former president and CEO of the Economic Development Association of Longmont, now known as the Longmont Area Economic Council. Prior to being hired at Upstate, Burkhardt was president and CEO of the Nevada County (California) Economic Resource Council.

“Burkhardt’s responsibilities included working with local primary employers to support their growth and expansion and marketing the Greeley/Weld County area to prospective targeted employers.

“Burkhardt and Upstate Colorado were honored last year by the Brighton Economic Development Corp. with a Regional Partnership Award for helping attract two Vestas Wind Systems manufacturing facilities to Brighton. Vestas also opened a manufacturing site in Windsor.”

The rest of the article is here.

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Here is a press release from the Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts, announcing the October 19th meeting that will consider the future direction of 41 projects Statewide. It shows where to file comments to keep the courthouse here:

The Court Facilities Working Group, which provides oversight of the entire judicial branch facilities program, invites members of the public to comment on facilities projects at the working group’s next meeting, October 19–20, 2011. The working group will discuss the future direction of the courthouse construction program and consider options for moving forward with the 41 courthouse projects planned with funding from Senate Bill 1407.

“We recognize that significant funding reductions to the judicial branch will likely impact the branch’s courthouse construction program,” said Administrative Presiding Justice Brad R. Hill of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District, who chairs the working group.

“The working group must act quickly to make recommendations to the Judicial Council. It’s an enormous job, and we need to gather as much input as possible in a short amount of time. These projects have a significant impact not only in the 34 counties in which they would be located but statewide. We believe the public should have a voice on their future direction, whether they support or oppose a particular project or have other comments they wish the working group to hear.”

The working group has been directed to provide recommendations to the Judicial Council on the facilities projects as soon as possible after the October meeting, with the intent that the council could consider those recommendations by the end of the calendar year. The working group is opening up public comment on any aspect of the judicial branch facilities program.

Written Comments Preferred

The working group prefers written comments but will accommodate in-person comments as well. Comments may be e-mailed to occmcomments@jud.ca.gov or mailed or delivered to:

Administrative Office of the Courts
Attn: Comments to Court Facilities Working Group
455 Golden Gate Ave., 8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102

Comments received by 1 p.m. on October 18, 2011, will be distributed to working group members at the meeting. The same e-mail address and postal address will remain open to the public at any time to comment on the facilities program or the work of the working group.

In-person comments can be made during the first hour of the working group’s meeting on October 19, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., which will be reserved for public comment. The meeting will be held in the Malcolm M. Lucas Boardroom on the third floor of the Hiram W. Johnson State Building, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco.

Speakers will be limited to 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the volume of requests, and scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve time to speak, please send your request by e-mail to occmcomments@jud.ca.gov or mail or deliver your request to Administrative Office of the Courts, Attn: Comments to Court Facilities Working Group, 455 Golden Gate Ave., 8th Floor,
San Francisco, CA 94102.

Please state:
• The speaker’s name, occupation, and (if applicable) name of the entity that the speaker represents;

• The speaker’s email address, telephone number, and mailing address; and

• The courthouse project to be commented on, or the nature of the speaker’s interest in the SB
1407 program.

Those wishing to comment may also sign up at the beginning of the meeting, but time for public comment will be limited and allocated based on the number of requests to speak. After the comment period ends, the meeting will be closed to the public.

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“Three women in Africa and the Middle East were named winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, an award that recognized the Arab Spring with a pointed emphasis on women’s rights in the region,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

“The prize was given to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni rights campaigner Tawakkul Karman. The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized them for their ‘nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.’

“The committee described Ms. Johnson Sirleaf, a Harvard-educated economist who has worked as a vice president of Citibank, as ‘Africa’s first democratically elected female president,” who has “contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women.’

“Ms. Gbowee ‘mobilized and organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia,’ the committee said, while Ms. Karman, ‘both before and during the ‘Arab Spring’ … has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen.’

“Announcing the award in Oslo, Norway, the head of the Norwegian committee, Thorbjørn Jagland, said the committee has ‘included the Arab Spring in this prize but we have put it in a particular context. If one fails to include the women in the new democracies there will be no democracy.’”

The rest of the article is here.

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Here’s an item on Tuesday’s meeting of the county supervisors – declaring a state of emergency on the mussels that already have infested a number of water bodies in the state.

I’m glad to see this being addressed, for smaller lakes inside and out of the county. Lake Tahoe has done a effective job, requiring inspections to stop quagga and zebra mussels. But more needs to be done for the other lakes and reservoirs in Truckee and the surrounding area.

We spent some time up in the Gold Lake region this summer (Sierra County), and there was no enforcement going on while boats were going on and off the boat ramp. The risk is huge. Some background on the freshwater mussels are here.

The memo that the board will consider is here:

“Dreissenid Mussels have already infested a number of water bodies in the state. They impede water distribution of water for municipal use, agricultural irrigation, power plant operation. These Mussels can encrust beaches, rocks, docks and watercraft hulls thereby impacting recreation. The Nevada County Board of Supervisors has become aware of the potential threat that Dreissenid Mussels pose to the County’s environment and economy.

“With the recommendation of the Nevada County Fish and Wildlife Commission, the Board recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Truckee River Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program to collaborate in the exclusion of Dreissenid Mussels and other aquatic invasive species from the lakes and reservoirs in the Truckee area.

“This proposed resolution requests the Governor declare a statewide emergency and encourages state action on items including allowing local jurisdictions the same enforcement powers as State Fish and Game in regards to trailered watercraft quarantines, an enhanced state surveillance at its border stations, and a robust educational program so Californians can appreciate the prevention of Dreissenid Mussels from infesting more water bodies.”

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This from the upcoming Grass Valley council meeting:

Council Meeting Date: October 11, 2011
Date Prepared: October 5, 2011
Prepared by: Michael E. Lewis, Human Resources Direct
Title: Appointment to Personnel Commission

Agenda: Consent
Recommended Motion: Approve appointment of John Spencer to the Personnel Commission.

Background Information: Advertisement for the open position on the Personnel Commission vacated by Claire Brown was made in the Union newspaper and the City’s website.

Applications were received from John Spencer and Roy Rissling. Interviews were held on October 5, 2011 by Mayor Arbuckle and Council Member Cookson followed by a recommendation of appointment of John Spencer with a term ending January 14, 2014.

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