FAWN SAVVY
‘SMART PEOPLE’
Peak time is here for baby deer. Know what to do when you find one by itself.
Award-winning playwright Lydia R. Diamond’s docudramedy presented virtually.
Inside, page 6
Prospecting, page 6
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Volume 170 • Issue 46 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Monday, April 19, 2021
Green Means Go hits red
Fire razes a home off Forni Road in Placerville Thursday afternoon. The home was reportedly totally destroyed along with an adjacent shed and vehicles.
Dawn Hodson Staff writer A proposal for the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors to sign a resolution to designate three Green Zones as a part of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments Green Means Go pilot program was met with considerable resistance. The proposal is a multi-year pilot program designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the six-county Sacramento region by accelerating infill development through infrastructure investments, reducing vehicle trips and promoting clean mobility options in targeted areas, called Green Zones. County staff at the April 13 Board of Supervisors meeting noted there is currently no state funding for the Green Means Go pilot program but Assembly Bill 1209, if enacted, would codify the Green Means Go Grant and Loan Program. The three proposed Green Zones in El Dorado County are all in established community regions where new growth is planned. If grant/loan funding becomes available, it could be used toward housing, transit improvements, broadband, electric vehicle infrastructure, bicycle/pedestrian improvements and electric bike share programs in any or all of the Green Zones. One Green Zone is in El Dorado Hills as more than 50% of the workforce in the El Dorado Hills Business Park commutes from other parts of the region. A second Green Zone would be Cameron Park. It was selected because it’s adjacent to Highway 50, a portion of the community is identified as low income as 40% or more of residents live at 200% or less of the federal poverty level and a large percentage of its residents commute outside of the area to work. It also has more than 320 acres with more than 129 parcels available for commercial or industrial development. Development would bring jobs closer to the area and reduce the need to commute. A third Green Zone is Diamond Springs. Most of the area was identified by SACOG as a low-income and disadvantaged community where 40% or more of the people live at 200% or less of the federal poverty level. In addition, roughly 20% of the residents are either elderly or disabled. n
Mountain Democrat photo by Dawn Hodson
Fire consumes home off Forni Road Dawn Hodson Staff writer
The blaze spread into nearby vegetation, burning about three-fourths of an acre of wildland.
backs. Dallas Gunter, 24, and Alexander Diskin, 23, said they believed the fire started in the bottom left side of the home around 2:40 p.m. and speculated it may have been due to an electrical line in the home. Deputy Chief Ken Earle of the Diamond Springs-El
El Dorado County fire agencies were out in force Thursday afternoon as they fought to prevent a house fire off Forni Road from spreading to other homes. A young couple renting space in the home escaped with only the clothes on their
n
See Fire, page 2
Supes look at county leaders’ pay Dawn Hodson Staff writer The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors has taken up a number of salary issues, including its own pay. At the board’s April 6 meeting Human Resources staff was authorized to conduct an analysis of compensation paid to each supervisor and to return with updated salary resolutions and documentation establishing compensation paid to each member at an amount no less than 8% of the median. Members of the board currently receive a salary of $76,876.80 annually plus most of the same benefits offered to employees. During the discussion of this
See Green zones, page 7
agenda item, Supervisor John Hidahl suggested an alternative approach to how board members are compensated, saying that in some counties board members receive a fixed percentage of what superior court judges get in pay and when the judges receive a pay increase, board members automatically get an increase as well. Novasel agreed to further explore that approach, noting that it, along with other benefits, should be examined since it may influence people’s decision to run for office and that board compensation is only onequarter of what some of “our other executives” make in pay. Staff was asked to return with a new salary resolution stating the
sheriff’s total compensation will remain 2.5% above the undersheriff on an ongoing basis, as well as confirming the district attorney and sheriff will continue to receive the same base salary no later than June 30. Currently the sheriff and district attorney both make $236,683 a year plus a 2.5% contribution to their deferred compensation plan. For the public defender’s base salary staff will prepare a resolution setting it at 15% below the district attorney’s base salary no later than Sept. 30, 2021. The assessor and treasurer/ tax collector will continue to be compensated at the same amount. n
See pay, page 10
Firefighters developing hands-on training site in Oak Hill Thomas Frey Staff writer
run-through in late February. So far firefighters have gone through several live fire training sessions to better understand basic fire behavior, forcible entry, hose management and how to search for victims. “The goal of the fire district is to expand this training facility to support urban search and rescue technical rescue training requirements and an array of other specialty programs firefighters are required to be proficient with,” states a press release from the fire district. Fire district officials say having the ability to utilize training centers like these firefighters can increase response efficiency, reduce property damage in the community and reduce the number of injuries and deaths of firefighters and civilians.
The El Dorado County Fire Protection District has been working over the last year to enhance training for its firefighters. To simulate residential and commercial buildings four large shipping containers were modified and placed at Fire Station 23 in Oak Hill. The metal shipping containers are perfect for the job — taking on fire and smoke in realistic training scenarios — and they hold up for future trainings. Local firefighters themselves completed necessary fabrication and other modifications and the site will also provide opportunities for multiple fire agencies throughout the county to train together. The facility got its first
Courtesy photo
Firefighters participate in a hands-on training at El Dorado County Fire Protection District’s training site at Station 23 in the Oak Hill community in late February.
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