Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors Watch

By unanimous vote Tuesday, Stanislaus County supervisors:

• Raised fees for 20 streetlight districts in unincorporated communities throughout the county, including a $175.50- per-year jump in North McHenry No. 2 District to $1,299 per year. The increases were blamed on metal thieves stealing wires. Rates in six other districts declined, including a $128 drop in the Sylvan Village District to $47.64 per year.

• Supported state legislation promoting Internet access in underserved areas. While 30 percent of Californians don't have high-speed Internet in their homes, the figure rises to 49 percent in the Central Valley.

• Hired Bond Blacktop of Union City for $444,600 to coat asphalt on 11 miles of roads near urban areas throughout the county.

• Applied for $350,000 in state Urban Greening planning grants for Modesto's airport neighborhood, in a partnership with Modesto and the Tuolumne River Trust. If awarded, the money could pay for plans for bike paths, a community garden and health projects.

• Approved plans for a new Juvenile Hall building and a list of 14 prequalified contractors bidding for the job. They include Acme Construction of Modesto, C.T. Brayton & Sons of Escalon, and J.L. Bray and Son of Salida. The state will pay $18 million of the $24.2 million cost for a 47,000-square-foot, 60-bed jail with classrooms, food service and an outdoor recreation yard. Work could start in October and finish in spring.

• Scheduled a July 26 public hearing on plans to rezone 0.45 acres near Ceres at 1300 Bystrum Road. The applicant hopes to transform a child care center into a 15-bed, assisted- care facility for seniors and eight-bed boarding house.

• Supervisors also heard an unscheduled, unusual plea from a young mother whose children were taken by Child Protective Services. Tiffany Pritchett of Modesto said she secured her young autistic son in a locked bedroom for his safety, "consistent with professional advice to keep a child from wandering at night," but CPS agents apparently disagreed.

The boy and her young daughter have been in foster care for 10 months, and a newborn also was taken a couple of weeks later, shortly after she gave birth, Pritchett said.

"I love my kids more than life itself," said Pritchett, who prepared a slideshow presentation to bolster her case. "I'm just pleading for intervention. I've done everything they want me to do."

Supervisors are prevented by law from discussing items raised during open comment segments of board meetings.

— Garth Stapley