Own ZIP code sought for Plumas Lake
Elected officials submitted a document to the USPS, with 636 signatures from residents attached, asking to give the community of more than 6,000 residents its own postal designation.
“Today, ZIP codes are far more than simply a tool to facilitate the efficient delivery of mail,” the document reads. “They often define a community’s identity, and can have a profound impact on homeowners and consumers.”
State Sen. Jim Nielsen, Assemblyman James Gallagher and county supervisors Doug Lofton and Gary Bradford submitted the document on April 6. The officials collected 411 signatures via an online petition, as well as 225 signatures in person.
Bradford said the issue doesn’t involve mail delivery so much as the community’s identity.
Currently, Plumas Lake shares a ZIP code with Arboga, Olivehurst and west
send a letter in opposition.
The resolution willl “elevate the county’s position,” according to a memo from County Administrator Robert Bendorf.
Yuba County Communications and Legislative Affairs Coordinator Russ Brown said California legislators can be activists on social issues and can be hard to reason with about negative local impacts.
“Our Legislature likes the bigpicture stuff, but sometimes it doesn’t reflect what’s going on here (locally),” Brown said. “It’s great if you want to take on another political force, but we’re getting caught in the middle here.”
The fate of the sheriff’s budget’s lies with the Assembly, with lobbyists, and with advocacy groups.
“We will keep advocating, we have people writing letters,” Brown said.
Area Assemblyman James Gallagher said the policy proposal is “dangerous” and he is working to defeat it in the Assembly.
“At the very least, the bill should be amended so that California does not give sanctuary to felons. It should also be amended to protect contracts like the one in Yuba County,” Gallagher said in an emailed statement. “Our local sheriffs and police officers are already being burdened with criminalfriendly policies like AB 109, Prop 47 and Prop 57. Asking them to do more with less is irresponsible and will further jeopardize the safety of communities throughout California.”
Brown said the bill has been amended four times, and it could be amended further to potentially find a way to exclude jail contracts. But, so many amendments can also make the language unclear and create problems for those faced with it when the bill becomes law.
“This creates a lot of uncertainty here,” Brown said. “We don’t even know what this bill is going to look like.”
If SB 54 is at all amended by the Assembly, it has to go back to the Senate. The bill was originally listed as urgency legislation, Brown said, but needed a two-thirds vote. The author realized they probably wouldn’t get that, and is now hoping to pass it on simple majority.
According to the bill’s Senate analysis, it has nearly 100 supporters from advocacy groups to individuals to the mayor of Los Ange- les. There’s only a handful of opponents, three of which are law enforcement associations.
“Essentially, the people representing law enforcement are not in favor of it,” Brown said. “If this rug is pulled out from under our law enforcement, it can create real turmoil in terms of finances.”
SB 54 is really only halfway through the legislative process, Brown said. Once it is approved by both houses, it then goes to the governor.
The bill reached the Assembly earlier this month and has been “held at desk” since that time, Brown said. Essentially, the bill is waiting for a committee assignment. So, at this moment there isn’t a timeframe for a hearing, he said.
“This would be just another hit for protection for our residents,” Brown said. “(Yuba County Sheriff Steve Durfor) wishes the Legislature would understand the impact this would have.”
De Leon’s office did not return an email or two phone requests for comment.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s deputy press secretary said in an email Friday that the office doesn’t generally comment on pending legislation.
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