BACK IN ACTION
Secrets of success
NorCal’s first sanctioned high school athletic competition brings area runners to Union Mine.
Celebrating the anniversaries of El Dorado County businesses. Inside
Sports, A8
C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
Friday, January 29, 2021
Volume 170 • Issue 12 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
County’s vaccine supply not meeting demand Saying repeatedly “It’s a math problem,” Hass noted the county has 41,000 residents 65 years of age but so far the state has only provided 16,700 doses of vaccine. Of that total, 7,100 doses had been administered as of Monday with both public health and Safeway pharmacies administering the vaccine to residents. Of those already vaccinated, approximately 36% are seniors. Due to the need to vaccinate the most vulnerable, health officials have asked for an increase in the county’s weekly allotment to 20,000 doses, about 15,000 above its original request, but that request has yet to be granted or acknowledged. County health clinics and Safeway
n Help line and assistance centers in the works Dawn Hodson Staff writer El Dorado County residents and health officials alike are frustrated with the vaccination process. The county has no available vaccines to distribute and is not taking appointments or reservations. Carla Hass, director of communications and outreach for El Dorado County, provided the Board of Supervisors an update on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines at Tuesday’s meeting.
pharmacies are waiting for additional vaccine allocation from the state. There are no walk-ins allowed, appointments must be made for both locations. Hass said that other than cancellations, that the middle of February looks to be about the time when reservations may become available again. As of Jan. 1 the county has received 7,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 8,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine and on average receives 2,800 doses a week. Supervisor George Turnboo said a company may be developing a pill form of a vaccine. Hass reported Monday Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state will continue providing the vaccine to
those 65 and older and healthcare workers while prioritizing emergency services, food and agriculture workers, teachers and school staff. But it plans to transition to an age-based eligibility system while ensuring the vaccine goes to disproportionately impacted communities. In addition the state will start using a process that allows for the reallocation of vaccines from providers who have not used at least 65% of their available supply on hand for a week and have not submitted a plan for administering the remaining vaccine to prioritized populations within four days notice. n
See Vaccine, page A3
Life as a sculptor Eagle’s maker shares his inspiration
Dawn Hodson Staff writer
T “Recall Newsom” by Kevin Kiley
Kevin Kiley pens ‘Recall Newsom’ Dawn Hodson Staff writer Calling him the most corrupt governor in the United States, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley lays out the case for why Gov. Gavin Newsom should be removed from office in a new book he’s written called “Recall Newsom.” In the book Kiley describes Newsom’s leadership failures, particularly in how he has handled the COVID-19 pandemic as well as legislation and policies that have harmed the average resident and turned California from a place of n
See Kiley, page A6
County learns of 9 more COVID deaths in 2 days Mountain Democrat staff
El Dorado County has now seen a total of 71 COVID-19-related deaths since the virus outbreak began in March 2020. Four new deaths were reported Tuesday — one Cameron Park/Shingle Springs/Rescue woman and one man, both 65 or older, one greater Placerville man 65 or older and one El Dorado Hills man between 50-64 years old. On Wednesday officials announced another five deaths — one Pollock Pines/ n
he artist who sculpted the bronze eagle that now adorns the front of the El Dorado County sheriff ’s facility is a multi-talented man who has worked in different mediums over his 40 years as a sculptor. Born Hungarian in Transylvania, Romania, Georg Schmerholz said he’s from a working-class family. He said his creativity was “I believe apparent humans have at an early age. At 2 an innate years old yearning for he said he would the purpose of fashion life and find it his own wooden in art.” toys. Later — Georg Schmerholz, he moved sculptor on to creating jewelry from peach pits and wire and building his own electric guitar at age 17. That guitar came in handy later on when he played lead guitar in a rock band. He said he also studied classical violin, although he didn’t relish the two hours of daily rehearsing. Imbued with a spirit that demanded freedom, at 20 he escaped Romania’s communist system and landed in a refugee camp in Italy, where he carved one of his very first sculptural pieces out of driftwood that he found on a Tuscan beach. With nature as his muse, Schmerholz said wood was his medium of choice for many years. In 1972 he traveled to Canada and eventually found his way to Whistler, British Columbia, where he became a builder’s helper, carving sculptures, especially faces, out of wood. He also developed photography skills in order to adequately capture the spirit of his sculptures. In 1996 he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, and worked in a large shared artist studio called Habitat Forum where he said he
See Deaths, page A3
$1,000
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Courtesy photo
Georg Schmerholz stands with the 10-foot eagle statue at his studio in Somerset. He sculpted the eagle to adorn the front of the El Dorado County sheriff’s facility in Placerville; the sculpture was unveiled at a ceremony last Friday. Georg Schmerholz, pictured with one of his jade sculptures, said he is revered by the Chinese as one of the two greatest jade artists in the West. Mountain Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
See Sculptor, page A7
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