Silence at last!!!

All I can say is; It's about freaken time!!!!

Trains ordered to silence horns
BY JAMES GELUSO, Californian staff writer e-mail: jgeluso@bakersfield.com Wednesday, Feb 20 2008 11:16 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, Feb 21 2008 7:41 AM
Locals are rejoicing at news peace and quiet will soon return to downtown and east Bakersfield — but it may not last forever.


The Federal Railroad Administration recently ordered BNSF Railway to stop blowing train horns in the area by March 3.
It’s a victory for residents who’ve been fighting train noise for 21⁄2 years and heard from city officials last summer that the horns were here to stay.
“We tackled the problem and we won,” said Dean Gardner, who pestered the city about the issue.
Gardner had dug up a page of a BNSF manual instructing engineers not to sound the horns in downtown Bakersfield. It was key evidence of a quiet zone in effect before 2005.
The feds’ edict was welcome news to Saint Dominguez, vice-president at Oasis Air Conditioning on East Truxtun Avenue.
A driver can’t talk to a forklift operator when the horns blow, especially if the engineer chooses to do one sustained blast instead of shorter blasts for each crossing.
“Basically, when the train comes by, we have to stop everything,” he said.
But City Attorney Ginny Gennaro warned the battle isn’t over. And it’s not a return to the pre-2005 good old days, she said.
The federal edict created a temporary quiet zone from the crossing at L Street to the crossing at Sumner and Miller streets. It will last only if the city makes safety improvements to the intersections. Horns are already quiet to the west of the area because streets go over or under the tracks, not across them.
The state Public Utilities Commission is studying the crossings and will recommend what the city must do. The city will then hire a consultant to determine the costs, said Raul Rojas, city public works director.
It could include closing some streets and installing new circuitry that activates crossing guards earlier if the trains are moving fast, said Gardner.
If the city decides the cost is too high, the trains will have to start blowing their horns again, Rojas said. He said he has no idea what that cost is going to be.
And that’s why Gennaro cautions against people getting too excited.
“While it is good news, it is by no means the end of the story,” she said.
She’s also worried that the city is exposing itself to liability if there is an accident in the quiet zone.
In November, the city asked the Federal Railroad Administration to restore its quiet zone while it finished the study. The railroad objected, claiming that the quiet zone had lapsed 21⁄2 years ago, so it was too late.
But the federal government said the regulations allow cities to file for quiet zones at any time.
Gardner was pleased his and others’ work paid off, although he wished it happened sooner.
“Frankly, if these train horns were in Seven Oaks, these train horns would have been solved years ago,” he said.

Planning on moving?

I am. To another state!!!! And in the near future too. Cutting education budgets when he said NO cuts? WTF???

GAAS:10:08

For Immediate Release: Contact: Aaron McLear

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 Rachel Cameron

916-445-4571

Governor Schwarzenegger Tackles California’s Challenges, Proposes Budget Reforms in State of the State Address

Delivering his annual State of the State address before a joint session of the California State Legislature today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asked legislators to work with him to tackle some of California’s most pressing challenges including reforming the state budget system that has failed the people of the Golden State too many times.

“This coming year will test us in very hard ways. In any number of areas, we’ve tackled politically risky things that no one in the past wanted to touch. To me, this is progress. And now, we must make progress on another problem that’s been put off for many years,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “We cannot continue to put people through the binge and purge of our budget process. It is not fair. It is not reasonable. It is not in the best interests of anyone. So I am again proposing a constitutional amendment so that our spending has some relationship to our revenues.”

During the speech, the Governor discussed his bold proposals to reform the state budget system that will ensure greater financial stability in the future and addressed why health care reform is critical to fixing our failing budget. He also discussed why the current budget challenge does not change California’s critical need for infrastructure investment and how the most needed education reforms are still possible.

“Government can work, it can be efficient and it can lead. California has proven this in so many areas including climate change, low carbon fuels, energy efficiency and on clean, green technology,” the Governor added. “But, our work has only just begun. I cannot fix the budget, build the roads and bridges or improve education alone. We have to work together if we are going to fix these problems and give the people of California what they deserve.”

Specifically, the Governor’s proposals include:

Budget Reform

California’s economy continues to grow, in spite of the current housing downturn, and the state continues to enjoy overall job growth. Yet while Governor Schwarzenegger prudently increased our rainy day reserve to historic highs in 2006 and 2007, California still faces a projected $14 billion budget gap in the 2008-09 fiscal year that requires across-the-board-cuts. In December, the Governor announced that he will declare a fiscal emergency to address the current year budget shortfall. Today, Governor Schwarzenegger proposes the Budget Stabilization Act, a Constitutional amendment to fundamentally reform the state budget process. This reform requires a vote of the people.

The Budget Stabilization Act:

• Establishes a Revenue Stabilization Fund (RSF), which is simply a savings account for excess revenues taken in by California during a prosperous year. This will allow the state to transfer the difference from the RSF into the General Fund in years when tax revenues are below average and California cannot meet its spending obligations.
• Allows California to reduce spending when necessary. Right now, California doesn’t have this flexibility. Once the Governor signs the budget, spending is locked in unless he declares a fiscal state of emergency and calls a special session. Under this act, state agencies must reduce their spending if a year-end deficit is projected by the Department of Finance.
• Requires the legislature to enact a statute specifying how the state will reduce spending to meet Budget Stabilization Act requirements as soon as a deficit is projected. If the legislature does not specify the reductions—or if their reductions are insufficient—the amendment allows the Governor to waive state law and regulations in order to achieve the savings needed to bring California's budget into balance.

If the Budget Stabilization Act had been in effect since 1998, the state would not have developed a structural budget deficit. In years where a deficit emerged, the Budget Stabilization Act would have triggered moderate cuts automatically to avoid draconian cuts later.

Strategic Growth Plan

California’s economic growth and environmental leadership are still closely tied to improving how infrastructure is built, operated and maintained. The Department of Finance estimates that California needs $500 billion worth of infrastructure over the next two decades. Governor Schwarzenegger is committed to further boosting economic growth, preserving our environment, enhancing services for citizens and getting taxpayers the most for their money by strengthening how California plans, finances and delivers infrastructure projects.

Governor Schwarzenegger proposes a set of new policies to leverage partnerships with the private sector, increase synergy between public agencies and educate thousands of new engineers to build the California of tomorrow. To achieve this, the Governor proposes:

• Establishing a Strategic Growth Council to coordinate SGP projects and spending. The five-member Council will help state agencies allocate SGP money in ways that best promote efficiency, sustainability and support the Governor’s economic and environmental goals.
• Expanding the types of projects, services and government entities that can enter into Performance Based Infrastructure (PBI) arrangements.
• Establishing “PBI California,” a center for excellence to help determine which state projects can benefit from PBI – also known as public-private partnerships – to represent the state in negotiations with PBI participants, ensure transparency and monitor performance. This will empower California to build, operate and maintain infrastructure better, faster and for less.
• Bringing approximately 20,000 new engineers into California's workforce over the next decade by expanding existing educational programs and building new partnerships between our schools, the military and the private sector.

Education

While school funding in California has reached historic new highs under his administration, Governor Schwarzenegger has always maintained that our education system needs more than money to succeed. Our system must ensure that students have the skills and knowledge needed for success; that parents, teachers and policymakers have access to accurate educational data; and that classrooms have highly qualified teachers to educate the next generation of Californians.

To achieve these goals, the Governor has announced:

• California will be the first state to use the powers given under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act to turn challenged districts around. The Governor’s proposal includes allocating a higher percentage of NCLB funds in districts that need the greatest assistance and intervention.
• Reforms that value local control and assist school districts based on their needs. The problems driving underachievement in each school district are different, so a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. In determining the state’s response, the administration has used a “differentiated assistance” model to analyze each district individually and assign it the most appropriate intervention to improve student achievement and progress. (in other words; let's go ahead and give em a certificate even though they can't read nor write. We'll have more poor uneducated people out there, selling drugs and doing other criminal acts)
• High-performing schools and districts have the opportunity to apply to the State Board of Education for waivers from provisions of the Education Code. Waivers granted by the State Board of Education will give these schools and districts flexibility to budget and operate in ways that continue to improve student achievement.
• Immediate actions to improve the quality and accessibility of information available to parents, educators and policymakers and address critical shortages of teachers in California’s classrooms.

The Governor’s administration is working with teachers, administrators, parents, elected officials and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to create a sustainable architecture for accountability that helps school districts meet federal standards and improve student achievement.

Health Care Reform

The Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act, introduced by the Governor and approved by the California Assembly, is a landmark reform that strengthens our health care system when we need it most. It will take pressure off of the state budget to finance the Medi-Cal rate hikes that drive some of our most significant budgetary spending growth. The Act is fully funded, budget neutral and includes mechanisms to ensure strong oversight, evaluation and flexibility to prevent auto-pilot spending.

The Health Care Security and Cost Reduction Act:

• Increase the role of the federal government in paying for medical costs of our population. It secures $4 billion in new federal funds that California is eligible for under current law and right now is leaving on the table.
• Reduces pressure on the state General Fund and addresses the structural budget problems that drive deficits. The Act finances higher reimbursements with new hospital revenues and federal funds and funds programs to improve the health of current Medi-Cal beneficiaries. It also includes built-in mechanisms to ensure that health care reforms are financially self-sustaining.
• Contains costs and lowers health care spending by addressing chronic illnesses and providing broad access to preventive care.
• Will create a positive impact on the economy by increasing productivity, wages and tax revenues.

BBQ at the neighbors

We sat and watched our neighbors home, burn to the ground on Saturday night. I feel bad for the family loosing all their belongings (pc's, games, mementos of trips, photos, etc). I am (however) gald that the fire department went in and saved the dog (pit bull) who is the so damn friendly and loves to lick. 100k totals the damages. Looks like the home won't be available for rent for a while (they were in the process of moving out).

Where has time gone?

I'm such a shit for not blogging here lately. One of my buddies mentioned that he hasn't seen me post a new blog so here I go.

a-hem

cough

Since my last blog, much has been happening. From screw-ups in scheduling appointments and then, loosing another Office supervisor who, was here only as a temp (thank god she left). New supervisor has come in and things should start running smoothly now and I'll get to step down and not be the right hand person any longer. I still keep my eye open in hopes, that a position becomes available (more pay) but, now we're told of budget cuts again (nothing new with KCCD and the way they micromanage it).
Spent thanksgiving with 'D' side of the family and had planned on going over and spend xmas with Mom. However, thanks to Adam, I managed to catch his bug and it's settled in my chest. So needless to say, I spent xmas eve and xmas day sleeping off and on. Here it is Friday! Hadn't noticed it til this morning when I logged onto the computer to read the newspaper that, time has flown by fast.

What are YOU doing for New Years Eve? I had hoped to spend it with my family here at home but, in steps his friend and invites him and the boys over to her place and is it extended to me? NO. Here I was looking forward to putting the boys to bed at 12:15am on New Years Day and having a bit of adult fun with 'D'. What ever. Things will change in the new-year. Believe me. Things WILL change.

Happy Thanksgiving/Native American Massacre Day everyone.

Thanksgiving is here. I'm thankful that I have a job, roof over my head and food in the fridge. Thankful that I have Damon in my life and 2 wonderful step-son's that I adore. Thankful for Bob and the fish. Thankful that I've managed to bite my tounge and not go and kick the shit out of a family member(s) ass. I got up at 530am this morning. Had my shower, cup of coffee and managed to kill some noob out in wild before going into the kitchen and put the corn bread on to cook. I decided against making an Italian dish for dinner today and, instead bought a 13 lbs turkey. Cranberries are currently setting out on the counter to cook (which I'll have Carter do).
Much has been going on since I last blogged. Most of it work related so, I won't bore you with the details. All I know is that I come home, cook dinner and vegge out on the couch til 8pm and haul my ass off to bed. Been having allot of stomach problems lately (thanks to work).

Have a wonderful day.

Fall is coming!

Fall is coming and with that, brings out the native in everyone. My friend Rainer in Canada sent me some photos of his lastest outing with his kids that, I had to post it. To be young and not have to worry abt anything and to learn abt the history of our forefathers, bring a smile to my face. Time travel... to have the ability to do so, would be wonderful.

Imagine digging into a piece of wood and finding something yummy to eat. Now we know where the folks at HotLixs get all their bugs from. >:o)

much to do abt nothing....

I'd say that not much has been going on here in the last month but, that would be a fat lie. A lot has been going on. Both in my personal life and with work. I'll leave both topics out of this blog and carry on with other items instead.

Amazon (that's my best friend) has this kat who, I believe in her past life was a ninja warrior that went around killing other cats with her drool. Go ahead... click on the image for an upclose look at the killer drool. It's crazy.