The Bottom Line Sends Yuba City Through the Roof

--Residents of Yuba City are bristling over a survey that lists the Sacramento Valley farm community as the worst place to live in the United States. The 1985 Places Rated Almanac, published by Rand McNally, rated the city, which is 100 miles northeast of San Francisco, at the bottom of a list of 329. “Rand McNally should worry about selling maps rather than making surveys,” responded Joe Benatar, chairman of the Sutter County Board of Supervisors. Yuba City Mayor Chuck Pappageorge added: “Quite honestly, I think it’s a slap in the face.” And Willie and Don Forsman, standing in front of their store, Willie’s Barber Shop, in downtown Yuba City, said they “wouldn’t trade this place for anywhere else.” Metropolitan Yuba City, with a population of 18,736 in the 1980 federal census, and including neighboring Marysville, population 9,898, received the low ranking because of poor almanac scores for health care and environment, transportation, the arts, education, recreation, economy, housing and terrain, although it didn’t do badly in crime and climate. No. 1 on the list was Pittsburgh, No. 28 was San Diego, Los Angeles-Long Beach was 38th and next to last was Pine Bluff, Ark.

--Rhonda Niles, who won the Miss New Hampshire title last weekend and will represent the state in the Miss U.S.A. pageant, denies charges of receiving stolen property, a pageant spokesman said. Niles, 19, a marketing student at State College in Plymouth, is free on her own recognizance, Police Chief Donald Young said. He said the arrest stemmed from the theft of women’s clothing from a store.

--A church that launched balloons carrying religious messages inspired one park ranger at the Canaveral National Seashore. She cited the church for littering. “I understand your hearts were in the right place, but this is a federal violation” in a national park, Ranger Pam Darty wrote in a certified letter to the Christ Center Church in Brandon, Fla., after she found two deflated balloons at the seashore. Church officials said they didn’t expect the balloons to drift 125 miles and they never thought spreading their message would be a federal offense. “I can understand if we had cluttered up a launch or something, but all we did was send off a bunch of balloons,” said pastor Terry Jones. “I guess she was just doing her job.”