2024 Activities and Meetings

April 2024

Wednesday, 4/3
 Homelessness Ad Hoc meeting to discuss potential change of location for permanent Navigation Center and Temporary Shelter.

Virtual RCRC ESJPA meeting to discuss proposed draft regulations implementing the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54).

Thursday, 4/4
 Meeting with Library Director.

Virtual UCCE Multi-County Program Advisory Council meeting to discuss budget.

EMS Fire Ad Hoc meeting for updates.

EDCTC meeting. Asked CalTrans representative to follow up on improvements to stop sign at SR 49 and Lotus Road.

Attended MCWRA Regional Leaders Reception in Sonora.

Friday, 4/5
 Introductory meeting for EDCWA General Manager and Eldorado National Forest Supervisor,

Sunday, 4/7
 Kelsey Schoolhouse Breakfast.

Thursday, 4/11
Virtually attended meeting with EDCWA General Manager and EDC CAO.

Virtual meeting with EDCTC Executive Director and Caltrans regarding options to upgrade the stop signs at SR 49 and Lotus Road.

Friday, 4/12
Virtual MCWRA meeting to replace 4/5 meeting that was cancelled due to snow in Sonora.

Monday, 4/15
Monthly meeting with IT Director.

Wednesday, 4/17
Attended portion of EDC Fire Safe Council meeting.

Thursday, 4/18
Meeting with applicant team for the Community for Health and Independence project.

Virtual meeting with staff for input on next 5-year review of the General Plan.

Friday, 4/19
Monthly meeting with Long Range Planning team.

Virtual quarterly meeting with RCRC and PG&E.

Phone call with EDCTC Executive Director to prepare for virtual meeting with Caltrans to discuss options to prohibit oversized trucks on SR 49 through the Confluence.

Monthly Agriculture Commissioner meeting.

Monthly Environmental Management Director meeting.

Meeting with RCD for updates.

Monday, 4/22
Virtually attended Taxpayers Association meeting. Agriculture Commissioner was guest speaker and HHSA Assistant Director attended to provide insight into items on 4/23 BOS agenda items.

Virtual SOFAR Collaborative Steering Committee meeting.

Wednesday, 4/24
Attended RCRC Executive Committee meeting. There is a lot of concerning legislation in the works.
Monthly Parks meeting.

Meeting with Recorder-Clerk.

Thursday, 4/25
Monthly meeting with County Counsel.
Virtual SOFAR Biomass Working Group meeting.

Monthly meeting with Human Resources Director.

Supervisor Thomas update from Cap to Cap.

Friday, 4/26
Meeting with Agricultural Commissioner.

Monday, 4/29
Virtually attended Taxpayers Association meeting and DOT Director Rafael Martinez was the guest speaker.

Attended OES Outreach Strategy meeting.

 

 

March 2024

Friday, 3/1 

  • Monthly EDOK meeting.  Anticipate an annual update from HHSA on the Navigation Center.

Saturday, 3/2 

  • Shingle Springs Community Center quarterly pancake breakfast.

Wednesday, 3/6 

  • Monthly Meeting with Sheriff Leikauf

Thursday, 3/7 

  • Attended opening of virtual Cap-to-Cap 2024 Wildfire Team meeting.
  • Meeting with Save the Graves representative.
  • Meeting with Library Commissioner candidate.
  • Monthly EDCTC meeting.

Friday, 3/8 

  • Attended Sierra Nevada Conservancy Watershed Improvement Program, celebrating the SNC 20th Anniversary.  Noteworthy items from the summit: 
  • California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot referenced the prescribed fire project at Caples Lake as being instrumental in the fight against the Caldor Fire. 

  • Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter, who lost his home in the Camp Fire, was skeptical when he first joined SNC because we already have so many people telling us what to do with our property, but now he sees the good work that is being accomplished to make communities resilient. 

  • Common theme among speakers was the need and effort to get back to our working landscapes.

Saturday, 3/9 

  • Attended the Back the Badge event.

Monday, 3/11 

  • Listened virtually to Taxpayers Association monthly business meeting.  They are in a state of chaos right now.
  • Attended First 5 Commission meeting.  Noteworthy items: 
    • Discussed next Strategic Plan and use of Community Advisories. 
    •  Approved collaboration with Marcella Foundation in Tahoe to implement Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library countywide so that each child under the age of 5 will receive a monthly book. ate on the use of Hubs and calls now that 211 has been discontinued, and the increase in the number of calls and the severity of the issues has increased about five times.  See email from Kathi Guerrero.  Working with CAO and departments to determine how to sustain this program. 

 

Tuesday, 3/12 

  • Attended the Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience (OWPR) workshop on the Hazardous Vegetation Ordinance Update. Thank you to staff for including the north county in its round of workshops. 

Wednesday, 3/13 

  • Attended RCRC meeting. Guest speaker was Toks Omishakin, Secretary of California State Transportation Agency. Big concern is road funding with the shrinking gas tax revenues. Regarding CalTrans’ stance of not supporting projects that increase capacity, the Secretary said that projects should be evaluated within context, not just looking at projects that address VMT and avoid increasing capacity. 
  • RCRC is exploring SB 90 reimbursements for unfunded mandates to send a message to the legislature about the growing burden of legislation requirements without funding.

Thursday, 3/14 

  • Environmental Management Director and I attended the RCRC Environmental Services Joint Powers Authority (ESJPA) meeting. Synergy is growing around bans on disposable, single-use e-cigarettes.
  • Update: My office has been working with staff and legislators to follow up on the Board’s direction in January regarding the treatment centers on Deer Valley Road.
  • Briefly attended portion of meeting with Supervisor Turnboo, US Forest Service, and Sierra Institute regarding a potential biomass facility in Grizzly Flats, similar to the one in Quincy, California.
  • Meeting with Code Enforcement Officers for updates.

Friday, 3/15 

  • Monthly virtual meeting with Long Range Planning Department.
  • Meeting with Surveyor.
  • Monthly meeting with Agricultural Commissioner.

Monday, 3/18 

  • Attended the Retired Public Employees Association meeting in Cameron Park. Thank you to Yvette Wencke and Jordan Brushia from Community Services for joining me and sharing information about senior services that are available in the county.

    Wednesday, 3/20 

    Monthly IT Director meeting. 

     

    Attended the last Cemetery Advisory Committee meeting to share next steps in cemetery division for volunteers. 

     

    Attended Georgetown Divide Fire Safe Council meeting at the Marshall Grange.  Great presentation of key issues for defensible space and hazardous vegetation maintenance.  Gathered input from residents on where they would like next round of funding to be spent. 

     

    Thursday, 3/21 

    Attended celebration to honor Ernest Conant as he received the US Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award. 

     

    Broadband ad hoc meeting. 

     

    Friday, 3/22 

    Attended Cap-to-Cap Water Resources team meeting in Sacramento. 

     

    HHSA budget update. 

     

    Monday, 3/25 

    Virtually attended Taxpayers Association meeting.  Mary Beth Bykows from the California Department of Insurance was the guest speaker. 

     

    Attended virtual SOFAR Steering Committee meeting. 

     

    Budget update. 

     

    Tuesday, 3/26 

    Supervisor Turnboo and I met with Elections staff. 

     

    Virtual meeting with Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director of National Stewardship Action Council, regarding interest in and support for EDC vape pen ban. 

     

    Wednesday, 3/27 

    Chaired the Golden Sierra Job Training Agency (GSJTA) Governing Board meeting.  Approved Annual Audit. 

     

    Thursday, 3/28 

    Attended virtual Cap-to-Cap Wildfire Team meeting. 

     

    Virtually attended monthly meeting with HR Director. 

    Virtually attended monthly meeting with County Counsel. 

     

    Friday, 3/29 

    Virtual meeting with Frank Porter at Housing El Dorado. 

     

    Virtual meeting with Code Enforcement for updates. 

     

February 2024

Wednesday, 2/7 

  • UCCE Central Sierra Advisory committee meeting in Jackson.  Discussed increased programming by advisors that are funded by UC and staffing that is funded by the four-county JPA and how do we budget for these increases. 
     
  • Monthly meeting with Sheriff.

Thursday, 2/8 

  • Meeting with EDCWA General Manager for agenda preparation.

Meeting in Tuolumne County regarding proposed USDA Meat Processing Facility and discuss a model for ownership of the facility. There is a great need for a USDA facility, however the logistics for the region are challenging.  

Friday, 2/9 

  • Follow up to 12/12/23 BOS item regarding Tribe’s fee-to-trust parcels, we received an email from Regional Director at the BIA to clarify that the existing road easements will remain on title if the parels are taken into trust.

Saturday, 2/10 

  • Shingle Springs Community Center Spaghetti Feed fundraiser.

Monday, 2/11 

  • Presented and gave oath of office at New Employee Orientation.
  • Monthly meeting with DOT Director.

Wednesday, 2/14 

  • Email from John Kennedy at RCRC that Assemblymember Wood will carry proposed changes to SB 1383 Organics legislation.  Bringing Consent Calendar item to BOS on 3/12 for letter of support.
  • Chaired EDCWA meeting.
  • Virtual ESJPA meeting to discuss increasing affiliate membership.

Thursday, 2/15 

  • Attended Pioneer Community Energy meeting as Supervisor Hidahl’s alternate.  The board adopted a resolution to authorize the Executive Director to execute agreements with Participate. Energy and Tesla for their Residential Distributed Microgrid program, which is a new program to offer solar with battery microgrids.  The Executive Director will be following up to give a presentation here at a BOS meeting.

Friday, 2/16 

  • Monthly virtual meeting with Long Range Planning team.
  • Virtual Cap-to-Cap Wildfire Team meeting.
  • Monthly meeting with Environmental Management Director.
  • Phone call meeting with RCRC staff regarding legislation for making treatment centers discretionary and taking away local land use authority.

Saturday, 2/17 

  • Toured Marshall Hospital for a presentation on the challenges that hospitals are facing for required seismic standards updates and costs. Waiting to see what legislation will be introduced to right-size the standards.

Tuesday, 2/20 

  • Meet and Greet with new Public Health Director.

Wednesday, 2/21 

  • RCRC Executive Committee Meeting.
  • Broadband Ad Hoc Committee meeting to discuss AT&T request to end Carrier of Last Resort landline obligations.
  • Phone meeting with Ag Commissioner to follow up regarding proposed USDA Meat Processing Facility.

Thursday, 2/22 

  • Monthly meeting with County Counsel.
  • Meeting with Community Emergency Radio group.
  • Virtual SOFAR Biomass work group meeting.
  • Virtual South Central Sierra Nevada Conservancy meeting.
  • Virtual SOFAR meeting of panelists with lessons learned from Catastrophic Wildfires.
  • Phone meeting with Broadband staff and AT&T representative.

Friday, 2/23 

  • Grand reopening of Grizzly Flats Post Office.
  • Cap-to-Cap Water Resources Team meeting.

Monday – Thursday, 2/26-2/29 

  • Associated California Water Agencies (ACWA) Conference in Washington D.C.  Very productive meetings with legislators and agency representatives to support water storage and water monitoring projects for El Dorado County and the region.

January 2024

January 2024

Wednesday, 1/10 

  • Chaired the El Dorado County Water Agency meeting.  We had a nice lunch afterward to thank Director Thornbrough for his service on the Board. 
  • Meeting with Agriculture Commissioner for a briefing regarding the upcoming meeting about a potential USDA Meat Processing Facility in the Mother Lode region.  I will be attending the decision-making meeting on 2/8.

Thursday, 1/11 

  • Monthly meeting with DOT Director.

  • Monthly meeting with Human Resources Director.

Wednesday, 1/17 

  • RCRC, GSFA, and GSCA combined meetings.  It was mostly an administrative meeting with swearing in new officers and adopting updated policies.  However, one action item was to take action regarding Proposition 1, The Governor’s Behavioral Health Modernization Proposal.  After consultation with the RCRC Officers, RCRC staff recommended the RCRC Board of Directors adopt a “No Position.” Following a comprehensive discussion where many of the member counties expressed strong opposition to Proposition 1, the RCRC Board of Directors moved to take no action with respect to Proposition 1. 

  • Monthly Chili Bar Ad Hoc Committee meeting.  Contract for engineering services coming to the BOS on 2/6/24.
  • I hosted a Town Hall with El Dorado County Transportation Commission (EDCTC) Executive Director Woody Deloria, DOT Director Rafael Martinez, and DOT Engineer Jon Balzer at the Gold Trail Grange in Coloma to discuss the proposed path along Lotus Road from Henningsen-Lotus Park to Highway 49.  The result of public input and staff’s presentation is that El Dorado County can pursue two different paths in this area: one path along the road which will be part of the transportation corridor developed with transportation funds, and the other path along the river which will be a recreation path developed with recreation funds. My office will follow up with the Parks Department on possible options to fully develop the existing trail along the river.

Thursday, 1/18 

  • NACo 2024 West Region Monthly virtual meeting.

Friday, 1/19 

  • Monthly meeting with Long Range Planning.
  • Briefing with Library Director.

Combined monthly meeting with Agriculture Commissioner, Environmental Management Director, wildlife biologist to discuss situation with SB 1383 organics requirements and the conflicts it is causing with bears.  RCRC is working to bring legislation to modify SB 1383 requirements and exemptions for elevations with bears is one of the issues that is being considered for modification.  I connected our wildlife biologist directly to RCRC staff for collaboration. 

Published a District IV newsletter to let residents know that I will be bringing an item to the BOS on Tuesday, 1/30/24 at 9:00am to discuss and give direction to staff regarding the proposed treatment centers in Rescue and Shingle Springs. 

Monday, 1/22 

  • Virtually attended Taxpayers Association meeting where Congressman McClintock was the guest speaker. 
  • Attended virtual SOFAR Steering committee. 

Thursday, 1/25 

  • Golden Sierra Job Training Agency Governing Body meeting

Saturday, 1/27 

  • SCLAR Animal Evacuation training 

 

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