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Good Living, B1
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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
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Volume 170 • Issue 31 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Monday, March 15, 2021
Courtesy photo
EDCOE offices in Placerville hosted a clinic for educators and senior citizens to receive their COVID19 vaccinations.
Educators to be vaccinated by end of month Mountain Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
The Placerville city seal is mounted outside of City Hall in downtown Placerville and appears elsewhere including on a public parking sign, the city’s website and official documents.
City Council sets date for forum on Hangtown’s logo Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer
consider the removal of both the noose and Old Hangtown nickname from the city seal. • Schedule a public forum on the same date to only consider
After more than eight months trying to settle controversy over whether to keep or remove the noose and Old Hangtown moniker from the Placerville city seal and city property the City Council at its meeting last week set a date of April 7 to begin educating the council and public on the hotbutton topic. A committee consisting of Vice Mayor Kara Taylor and council member Patty Borrelli was asked at a previous City Council meeting to work with city manager Cleve Morris to bring options for a public forum back to the council Courtesy graphic for consideration. The city of Placerville mocked up a version Four options were presented to of the city logo without the noose after a City Council: discussion in July 2020. • Set a meeting April 7 to
removing the noose. • Select a different date. • Direct staff and committee to prepare a different format to conduct a public forum. Comments from the public ran the gamut from those who wanted to protect the seal and nickname to those in support of removal. “There are a lot of voices in our community that are important to us that we represent and want to be heard on both sides of this issue,” said Mayor Dennis Thomas, adding, “That to me takes far more precedence over people that don’t live in this community.” A Feb. 10 letter from national Latino advocacy organization UnidosUS called for the City Council to “immediately remove the graphic illustrations of n
El Dorado County Office of Education Commitment and partnership are making it possible for all educators to receive a vaccination by the end of March. Several mass clinics have been offered to expand vaccination efforts across El Dorado County. This is made possible through partnerships between El Dorado County Public Health, the county’s Emergency Operations Center, the El Dorado County Office of Education, Safeway and Walgreens pharmacies and more. “We value the strength of our community to develop a critical and responsive support system as schools return to the classroom full time,” Dr. Ed Manansala, El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools, noted. “This is a significant win for students, families, educators and El Dorado County.” One public vaccination clinic was hosted Feb. 27 by the El Dorado Hills Fire Department at Station 86 where 440 educators and 260 senior citizens received vaccinations drive-thru style. The fire department, Emergency Operations Center, EDCOE, school nurses and several school district superintendents staffed the event. Meg Enns, Gold Oak Union School District superintendent, volunteered at the clinic and remarked, “This clinic is truly impressive and will give our educators peace of mind that they are protected at the highest extent in our schools. We are thankful for this opportunity and look forward to future clinics.” Amber Uber, school nurse at Oak Ridge
See logo, page A6
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See EDCOE, page A7
Cameron Woods parcels may get a rezone Dawn Hodson Staff writer After months of pleading before the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors residents of Cameron Woods received the response they wanted to a requested General Plan amendment and rezoning of five parcels in their Cameron Park neighborhood. The request was to prevent an apartment building with 46 units from being erected on a 2.2-acre parcel residents said was mistakenly zoned multi-unit residential in a neighborhood of single-family homes. Reviewing the history of the Cameron Woods subdivision, Supervisor Lori Parlin and deputy planning director Rob Peters noted the five parcels located at the corner of Mira Loma Drive and Perlett Drive had been inadvertently rezoned to multiunit residential with the approval of the targeted General Plan amendment/ Zoning Ordinance update carried out in 2015. The land use designation was
intended to be changed to high-density residential per an ordinance approved by supervisors in 1995. Subsequently, single-family homes were built on four of the five parcels. On the fifth parcel, however, the current landowner, Levi Cook, has plans to construct a two-building, three-story-high multi-family apartment complex with 46 rental units, a fitness center, office/model unit and 90 off-street parking spaces. At Tuesday’s board meeting multiple residents of Cameron Woods called to request the county correct the zoning mistake, thus keeping the subdivision’s make-up of single-family homes. The board then unanimously approved directing staff to initiate a General Plan amendment to change the land use designation from multifamily residential to high-density residential and rezone the parcels from multi-unit residential to single-unit residential. The rezone will be evaluated by staff and from there proceed to the Planning Commission for its review/approval.
Courtesy graphic
The owner of a 2.2 acre parcel in Cameron Park has plans to construct a two-building, three-story-high multi-family apartment complex with 46 rental units and 90 offstreet parking spaces.
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