Monday, 1/3
I appreciate Don Ashton’s concern for the residents on the Divide who were impacted by the extreme snowstorm. Don drove us up to the Divide area to check in with community leaders who were helping residents in need, deliver supplies from the PG&E Resource Center in Garden to the community distribution hub at the IOOF Hall in Georgetown, and drove out to remote mobile home parks to offer support to residents and property managers. When the El Dorado County Food Bank truck showed up at the IOOF Hall, Don and I were there to help offload the supplies in preparation for distribution to those in need.
Thursday, 1/6
Special meeting of the RCRC Ad Hoc Committee on Wildfire and Forest Stewardship. PG&E had requested to meet with RCRC and we were able to share our concerns and frustrations with how PG&E operates in our communities. They are focusing on undergrounding their infrastructure, but it was pointed out that they need to communicate realistic expectations or else they are setting themselves up for failure. Increased communication was the takeaway from the meeting. And I again asked that using our microgrids in any power outage situation, not just for PSPS events, should be a priority project for them. I did thank them for bringing in crews from all over to help restore power from the snow storm.
Friday, 1/7
Virtual meeting with Chair of the Cool-Pilot Hill Fire Safe Council (CPHFSC), El Dorado Water Agency (EDWA) staff, and livestock representative to work on details of an application to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) for a watershed fuels reduction project on the Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA) land in Cool. This has been a great project and opportunity to build a working relationship with the BOR. There is still a lot of work to do, but we are making progress.
Meet and Greet with our new Director of Planning and Building.
Saturday, 1/8
The week was full of phone calls, emails, and text messages regarding the resources available for the community during the snow event. Looking forward to a debrief on this event to see how we can improve communication in the future.
Sunday, 1/9
Garden Valley Fire breakfast. Good to see everyone. I was able to gather information from a resident and convey the message to the Sheriff’s Department that an abandoned vehicle was blocking a roadway. The Sheriff’s Department was extremely helpful in getting the vehicle removed so that residents could use the road and also get propane delivered. Thank you to the Sheriff’s Department for that assistance.
Monday, 1/10
Taxpayers Association guest speaker was Duane Wallace, Executive Director of the South Tahoe Chamber. Duane explained that TRPA is considering a basin use fee and asked that the Board of Supervisors engage on this issue, as the Douglas County Board of Supervisors has done.
Wednesday, 1/12
RCRC virtual meeting. Most noteworthy was the update on the Board of Forestry revised draft Fire Safe Regulations. Because of concerns that the proposed regulations could negatively impact housing construction and agricultural businesses, RCRC has since filed letters and a writ regarding the flaws in the Board of Forestry’s rulemaking process. The letters are available here:
https://www.rcrcnet.org/sites/default/files/useruploads/Documents/Misc/2021/BOF_State_Minimum_Fire_Safe_Regs%202021_15-Day_Revisions_Published_Jan_2022_RCRC%20APA%20Comments_2022-01-19.pdf
https://www.rcrcnet.org/sites/default/files/useruploads/Documents/Misc/2021/BOF_State_Minimum_Fire_Safe_Regs%202021_15-Day_Revisions_Published_Jan_2022_2022-01-19_FINAL.pdf
Virtual SOFAR Collaborative meeting. Panel of speakers with progress on bringing biomass facilities to the area. Our biomass consultant also attended the meeting.
Thursday, 1/13
Virtual RCRC Wildfire and Forest Stewardship Ad Hoc Committee meeting with US Forest Service representatives. A lot of frustrations from all parties. With recent budget they now have funds to roll out a 10-year plan of proactive management, including roadside and trails work.
Budget ad hoc meeting.
Friday, 1/14
Supervisor Turnboo and I met with the Andre Pichly, new General Manager at the Cameron Park CSD, and Eric Aiston, outgoing Chair of the CPCSD Board of Directors. Following up on ARPA request. They did apply for and receive ARPA funds directly from the State, which the County supported, so their request of the County has decreased. CAO Don Ashton is going to follow up with the General Manager.
Tuesday, 1/18
Supervisor Thomas and I virtually met with staff regarding the proposal to update the Ranch Marketing Ordinance to comply with the current noise ordinance while also continuing support for additional revenue streams for agricultural businesses.
Wednesday, 1/19
Virtually attended the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council meeting. Updated them that the County’s Wildfire and Resiliency working group will be bringing an update to the Board probably in March.
Virtual meeting with staff and Parks and Recreation District I and IV Commissioners regarding Parks Master Plan update. The Parks Master Plan Update effort is being started and looking forward to a very public and inclusive process.
Virtual meeting with District IV representative and 2022 Chair of the Commission on Aging.
Thursday, 1/20
Phone call Meet and Greet with Ron Marlette, new Director at the Upper Room.
Friday, 1/21
Monthly virtual meeting with Long Range Planning.
Phone call with land use counsel for the Grocery Outlet project.
Virtual monthly meeting with Environmental Management Director.
Monday, 1/24
Guest speaker at Taxpayers Association meeting was Brandi Bannister, of the Lake Tahoe Unified School Board. Shared thoughts on proposal for a bond measure to upgrade schools and the need for sustainability.
Wednesday, 1/26
Virtually participated with staff on an update on Chili Bar Park regarding next steps in the process to follow Board’s direction to move forward with an RFQ or RFP.
Virtually attended the Cemetery Advisory Committee. Questions and concerns arose regarding the Board’s direction to put a measure on the November 2022 ballot for a cemetery fee. I will be following up with staff on that, which likely result in a Board agenda item for discussion.
Virtually attended the Mt. Murphy Bridge Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) public meeting. The community is appreciative of this project moving forward and the Board’s support as we all saw how heavily the community was impacted when the bridge was closed after a DUI drive crashed into the bridge. Thank you to staff for a thorough presentation, which is available on the County’s website.
Thursday, 1/27
Phone meeting with Laurel Brent-Bumb regarding annual events involving the Chair of the Board of Supervisors. The events are usually in the fall and I appreciated Laurel reaching out to give me plenty of heads up about these opportunities.
Attended the Governor’s virtual Wildifre and Forest Resilience Task Force meeting. I was glad to see Mark Egbert there as an attendee and presenter as it is important that El Dorado County be connected to this effort to maximize the funding that we receive for forest management and other projects.
Attended Jody Gray’s retirement celebration at the Marshall Building of the County Fairgrounds. Great to see so many people come together who share Jody’s love of our county and our fairgrounds. We wish her the best in her retirement and know that she will still be in the area to be supportive of the Fair’s ongoing success.
Friday, 1/28
The El Dorado County Transportation Commission’s (EDCTC) State Route 49 (SR 49) Confluence study was launched with an on site roadway safety audit. I spent the day with the consultant’s staff, State Parks staff, EDCTC staff, and Caltrans staff to survey the route from Cool to Auburn. That information will be used to prepare for the next steps of the study, which I will announce in our District IV newsletter to ensure that it is an inclusive, public process.
Saturday, 1/29
Attended the first burn performed by the recently formed El Dorado County Prescribed Burn Association (PBA). PBAs are forming throughout the state as another tool in the toolbox toward vegetation management. I anticipate working with the group to promote the PBA and increase membership, possibly through the Fire Safe Council. This may be another good connection for the County’s Wildfire and Forest Resiliency Working Group.
Monday, 1/31
Virtually attended the Taxpayers Association Meeting. Colette Thiel, President of the Shingle Springs-Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce was the guest speaker and presented information on her goals for the Chamber and why chambers are important to communities.
Virtually attended the SOFAR Steering Committee meeting. I am interested in how SOFAR will interface with the County’s Wildfire and Forest Resiliency Working Group and am looking forward to the Working Group’s report out to the Board in March.
Weekly meeting with Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
Weekly virtual Agenda Review with staff to prepare for 2/8/22 BOS meeting.