The Press Democrat from Santa Rosa, California • 49

LIBEL SUIT The Press Democrat New call to regulate big tobacco D3 Anderson ordered to pay $5,000 Santa Rosa, California, Thursday, August 3, 1995 9 187 ameidlmeEt raectedl Msg By TOBIAS YOUNG Mrr writer House panel won't tag measure to budget Bruce Anderson, the vitriolic editor of the Anderson Valley Advertiser in Boonville, has been ordered to pay $5,000 to a Navarro woman who won a libel lawsuit in small claims Tuesday on the House floor, but the Rules Committee told Riggs his amendment would violate a House rule against setting policy In a budget bill. Riggs withdrew the amendment. Hearings on immigration are expected to be held later this year In the House Judiciary Committee. "We will take a look at those bills and perhaps co-sponsor some of those bills or if we're not pleased, we might put In one of our own," Riggs spokesman Beau Phillips said. Asked if Riggs would bring back his proposal in some form, Phillips said "this just happened a few hours ago.

You don't make snap judgments about this." By JAMES W.SWEENEY Staff Writer A bid by Rep. Frank Riggs to write Proposition 187 Into federal law failed Wednesday when a key committee rejected his request to bring the controversial Immigration measure to the House floor during an ongoing budget debate. Riggs, R-Windsor, wanted to prohibit federal agencies from spending money to benefit anyone who entered the country illegally but the House Rules Committee decided his amendment would be out of order. A spokesman said Riggs might try to revive the measure later or abandon It. California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 187, a ballot initiative barring illegal Immigrants from receiving public services.

But enforcement has been blocked by a federal judge, who Is still reviewing its constitutionality. Riggs announced in July he would try to extend the concept to federal law, barring Illegal immigrants from Social Security, Medicare and other programs by attaching a rider to the 1995-96 spending bill covering the Labor and Health and Human Services departments. In a statement issued at the time, Riggs said "It defies common sense to increase taxes on the wages of the law-abiding in order to fund benefits for the law-breaking." His proposal was praised by Proposition 187 sponsors and attacked by opponents of the measure. Debate on the appropriations bill began Anderson Library authority shifted from Price Service hurt, say commissioners court. Anderson was sued by Anna Taylor, a public radio gospel show host and one of his former writers whom he ridiculed four months ago In his controversial weekly newspaper.

It is the first time Anderson has been sued or ordered to pay damages for libel, although he has been threatened dozens of times. "A couple of people already have said this is the beginning of the end for the Anderson Valley Advertiser," Taylor said. "I hope that is true. The Anderson Valley Advertiser has degenerated Into an Institution of community terrorism." Anderson, who filed an appeal Wednesday, said he doesn't expect a fair hearing in Mendocino County because of his frequent sharp-edged attacks on the local justice system and Its judges. "It's no surprise," said Anderson.

"I don't expect justice in Mendocino County." Judge Henry Nelson of the Anderson Valley Justice Court, in a July 24 ruling, said Anderson gave "the impression that plaintiff is a welfare cheat." The lawsuit was filed over an April 12 column, in which Anderson described Taylor's complaints to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors about faulty repairs to her house that had been paid for by a low-income housing agency called the Community Development Commission. The story described the work as a "welfare handout" and suggested Taylor's complaints were "bogus" and a "scam," according to the ruling. "Here's a woman, very smart, well-educated who early on volunteered to be poor and went on to make a career out of it for herself," the judge quoted Anderson as writing. Anderson, 55, has owned the Anderson Valley Advertiser for 11 years. He got national attention when he published a hoax interview with former Congressman Doug Bosco.

He also was sent to jail for publicly See Libel, Page B3 Commission chairwoman Dorothy Bertucci said Wednesday night's unanimous vote was "a turning point" and called for an end to bickering, in-fighting, and political maneuvering. She said the approximately 125 employees in the county's dozen library branches have undergone "emotional and psychological stress" because of Internal divisions. "We have endured a year and a half of turmoil, rumors and fear that have hurt a lot of people," Bertucci said. "The library has been damaged and there's been a loss of reputation." Bertucci, who sided with critics of Price, was countered by Jack Healey, a former Santa Rosa mayor who was Price's most vocal advocate on the commission. Healey was critical of what he viewed as behind-the-scenes machinations by David Sabsay, the former library director who had formed the county's disparate libraries into one system and headed them for 35 years before Price was hired by the commission in 1992.

"The continued interference of the former director has been one of the big causes of turmoil in the See Library, Page B3 By BI.EYS W. ROSE Staff Writer Sonoma County library commissioners attempted Wednesday to close the books on the troubled tenure of outgoing director David Price by acknowledging that internal turmoil had harmed delivery of library services. At its regular monthly meeting, the 7-member commission transferred authority from Price, who has taken a job with the San Francisco Library, to Molly McDermott, who served as Price's assistant director. McDermott will serve as Interim director while the commission searches for a permanent one. Price's authoritarian management style came under attack from his top managers and from many library staffers who bombarded the commission with complaints.

An internal revolt led some commissioners to make sure Price's contract isn't renewed when it expires In October. 1 Klaas Foundation says donations substantial Riggs, fired aide trade jabs spending has eased now that the non-profit has settled into a public service role, said executive director Gary Kinley. "A great many of the expenses in the first months were related to the search for Polly," Kinley said. "Our budget is much less than that. We're going to be around for awhile." The foundation now operates with a $250,000 annual budget, Kinley said.

It recently hired a full-time fund-raiser and set up a small endowment, hoping to endure inevitable public amnesia over the Polly case. The foundation, with four paid employees, provides information and support for other abduction or missing children cases. It also lobbies for stiffer laws for child abductors and sex offenders, and See Klaas, Page B3 By JOHN SIMERMAN Press Democrat Bureau PETALUMA Financial support for the Polly Klaas Foundation has dwindled since a flood of money poured in from around the country in the weeks following her abduction in October, 1993. But foundation officials say contributions are still substantial enough to keep the non-profit running indefinitely. More than $580,000 rolled into the foundation's coffers in the 8 months following the disappearance of the 12-year-old girl from her Petaluma home, according to federal tax records released last week.

Advocates for missing children say it was the second largest sum ever amassed in the wake of a child abduction. The foundation spent $285,000 in the same 8-month period, but MARK AROhOFF PRESS DEMOCRAT Wading egret An egret wading at the Lake Ralphine boat ramp ednesday finds colorful reflections on the fishing grounds thanks to sailboats moored nearby. AOOIirJO TOE EL1PIOE County roads closed for repairs 0 Miles 5 Ml SONOMA Fort Ross I ByMIKEGE.MEI.LA Staff Writer A feud between Rep. Frank Riggs and his former Mendocino County aide flared publicly Wednesday, with the pair exchang-; ing allegations of slander and per-! sonal misconduct. "I am disappointed in Frank, whom I considered a friend up until this Nlxon-type effort at dam-- age control," said Ron Libby.

Libby was fired by Riggs, R-; Windsor, earlier this year after Libby reportedly became romantically involved with the wife of a prominent Ukiah Valley supporter of the lawmaker. Libby, a local businessman and Republican Party activist, on Wednesday refused to talk about his personal life or whether that led to his split with Riggs. But Libby angrily denounced Riggs after his office wrote a letter to the Ukiah Daily Journal accusing Libby of failing to meet Riggs' "standards of personal behavior." The letter, published Wednesday, was signed by Riggs' chief of staff Steve Sutton. The letter attacked a series of increasingly biting opinion columns about Riggs' positions that Libby has had published recently in the newspaper. Among other written comments, Libby has said that Riggs' Washington, D.C.

staff is 'lop heavy with the right wing of the party." Sutton said Libby was taking "cheap shots" at Riggs because Libby is bitter about his firing early this year. "Each staff member is a personal representative of Congressman Riggs and, as such, there is a standard all staff are expected to meet," wrote Sutton. "Mr. Libby did not meet that standard, and this is why he no longer works for Congressman Riggs, and the people of the 1st Su Feud, Page BS SCHOLIA COUUTY Caltrans to pave part of Meyers Grade Road The California Department of Transportation will begin making improvements and paving eight miles on Meyers Grade Road and two miles on Timber Cove Road, leaving the roads open to local traffic only for about three weeks. The pavement construction will start Friday on Meyers Grade Road off Highway 1 and will end on Timber Cove Road.

The road improvements are In preparation for a major repair on Highway 1 scheduled to begin in September. Meyers Grade and Timber Cove will be used as a detour when Highway 1 closes for at least two months when construction crews begin repairing sections of roadway damaged by slides. Pacific Ocean Hwy. 1 scheduled for repairs The lion's share of money for construction comes from a $345,000 Community Partnership for Youth grant awarded by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. KOnTII COAST Proposed regulations worry Pacific Lumber Despite federal assurances.

Pacific Lumber Co. representatives said Wednesday they are worried proposed new regulations to protect a rare seabird's habitat may impact company logging operations in old-growth areas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has unveiled a plan to protect the threatened marbled murrelet on mostly public lands. Spokesmen insist private timberland owners in Northern California, Oregon and Washington will experience only minimal adverse effects.

"But we're not sure that's correct in our case," said Tom Herman, PL's resource manager. Pacific Lumber, which owns the largest acreage of ancient redwoods left in private ownership, has had a number of plans to log old-growth redwood groves held up because of court concerns for the murrelet's protection. Herman said a substantial portion of Pacific Lumber's old-growth holdings has been designated under the newly proposed federal protection plan as critical habitat for the murrelet jt SANTA ROSA Journey's End residents can thank Napa man The 90 Journey's End mobile home park residents who got a free bus ride to Santa Rosa City Hall on Tuesday to fight Home Depot's attempt to raze the senior citizen's park can thank Napa businessman Ben Cassinerio. A source who declined to be Identified but who was familiar with the bus rental, said Cassinerio, owner of Diablo Timber, put up his own money for the two buses. Cassinerio was unavailable for comment and Tom Knippln, special projects manager for Diablo Timber, declined to Identify Cassinerio as the source of funds.

But Knippin said that Cassinerio "has been moved by the plight of these (Journey's End) people," whose 161-unit park at the north end of town has been targeted by Home Depot for its newest Sonoma County outlet. The move that would force the park's 200 residents to find housing elsewhere. Diablo Timber supplies wood to 25-30 retail outlets in Sonoma County. Home Depot, which has Its own wholesale wood suppliers, would compete directly with those retailers. Yardbird's, one of Home Depot's major Sonoma County competitors, also helped Journey's End residents, supplying them with buttons that read "Save Journey's End from ome Depot" Sebastopol Community Center, is expected to be complete by March or April.

The building will be host to a variety of activities for west county youngsters in 7th to 12th grades. Teens will be able to play Ping-Pong, pool, use a weight and exercise room, watch a big screen TV, or use a computer-equipped room for study. There will be a stage with an auditorium for bands, dances and plays. A snack bar also will be part of the center. Mike Reilly, executive director of West County Community Services, the lead coordinating agency for the teen center, said the ongoing budget is estimated at $110,000 to $130,000 annually to pay for a teen project SEDASTOPCL Construction to begin on new teen center Construction begins this week on a $500,000 teen center, a community project made possible by a government grant as well as labor and materials donated by construction workers and companies.

The center, which will be next to the director and clerk. 4.