HOOP DREAMS
Delicious win
High school basketball is back in action and the Trojans have a new coach. Sports, A6
Local baking master Frank Vilt topples the competition. News, etc., 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 47 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
City, county to team up on homeless housing Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer City of Placerville and El Dorado County leaders propose to work together toward a transitional housing project aimed at possibly extending Project Roomkey. While no specified site has been selected, nor is it required to be eligible, the due date for state Community Development Block Grant monies, which would offset the cost of acquisition and rehabilitation of property, is just weeks away. Project Roomkey is a collaborative government program launched in April 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic to mitigate hospital surge by temporarily housing in motels or hotels homeless individuals considered at-risk of more severe COVID-19 symptoms. The Mountain Democrat reported last July Project Roomkey had housed approximately 40 homeless individuals in Pollock Pines and South Lake Tahoe hotel rooms. City of Placerville Director of Development Services Pierre Rivas delivered a report outlining grant fund availability and the proposed process moving forward in the joint effort at the April 13 City Council meeting. The county could request a total of $1,829,794 and the city of Placerville $421,363 from three rounds of funding opportunities. County staff would submit the joint application and act as the lead agency in the application and subsequent joint project. As lead agency the county would have the responsibility of administering the agreement and state reporting requirements. “This project would assist in reducing the number of unsheltered homeless encampments both in the county and in the city,” said Rivas. El Dorado County Director of Health and Human Services Don Semon clarified that all projects moving forward will include collaboration with city staff on potential locations or other matters. “The city would be on the ground n
See Housing, page A3
Mountain Democrat photo by Dawn Hodson
Demonstrators gather in front of the courthouse in downtown Placerville Friday to protest the City Council decision to remove a noose from the city logo and city property.
Residents rally ’round noose Dawn Hodson Staff writer
“This is not about race but the struggle the town went through to become a town.”
Demonstrators opposed to Placerville City Council’s vote to remove the noose from the city logo showed up in front of the downtown Placerville courthouse for a peaceful, if noisy, protest Friday afternoon. Waving signs and banners dozens of people gathered as a steady stream of cars, trucks and other vehicles drove by with drivers honking in support and giving the thumbs up sign. In front of the courthouse a noose hung from a tree as a reminder of what the protest was about. American flags and banners calling for the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom competed with handmade signs that read, “Heritage is not hate,” “Don’t erase history, learn from it,” “Hangtown lives matter” and “Whose pockets are the City Council in? This is gold country, not Bay Area wine country.” Moving through the crowd were several people circulating
— Tiffany Moore, Placerville resident petitions to recall Mayor Dennis Thomas, accusing him of “abusing his power in favor of commercial growth that is not conducive with the General Plan while doing little to promote the mom and pop businesses of the downtown.” A recall election would fall under the city’s jurisdiction to review and approve a petition prior to circulation, according to El Dorado County Registrar of Voters Bill O’Neill, who said that the based on the most recent report of registration, 1,660 signatures would be needed to qualify. Other protestors indicated they wanted the entire City Council recalled with the common refrain being they didn’t want the city’s history destroyed.
Tiffany Moore, a Placerville resident and one of those circulating a petition, said she wanted the town to decide rather than the City Council. “I’m very disappointed in the City Council,” she said. “They made it seem they wanted our opinions but they really didn’t,” she continued, adding that she thinks those behind removing the noose will go after the name Hangtown next. “This is not about race but the struggle the town went through to become a town.” Liz Murphy, a Pollock Pines resident and former teacher of American history, said she was there because she didn’t want cancel culture to change the actual history of the area. “People need to be educated about what really happened,” she said. “It was about law and order. It was very important to keep an orderly society as much as possible. It was just enforcing the law. There was nothing racial about it. History is real life, not whitewashed stories. I’m tired of the move n
See Noose, page A6
Work to begin on new EDCHC facility for Placerville Dawn Hodson Staff writer A new medical facility got its official start Friday afternoon as officials gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony of what will become the latest clinic run by El Dorado Community Health Centers. Located on a 12-acre, oakstudded piece of property on the west side of Missouri Flat Road and north of Forni Road, construction of the 30,000-square-foot facility is slated to begin soon. Officials said it is expected to be completed in 12-18 months. “Our mission is to provide exceptional health care,” said CEO Terri Stratton. Designed as a one-stop health
center, Stratton said the facility will use an integrated approach where people can get services such as primary medical, dental, behavioral health, addiction treatment, optometry and pharmacy services. “We are thrilled to be expanding,” said Stratton, adding that the agency serves anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. Priced at $23.8 million, the new facility is being financed with an $18.5 million USDA loan and a construction loan from Western Alliance Bank. At present the organization has two other medical care outlets on Missouri Flat, both of which will be closed once the new facility is completed. There’s also a campus in Cameron Park that will remain unchanged.
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Mountain Democrat photo by Dawn Hodson
Dignitaries and staff break ground on a new medical clinic being built by El Dorado Community Health Centers off Missouri Flat Road. When completed the new facility will provide a centralized location for primary medical, dental, behavioral health, addiction treatment, optometry and pharmacy services. Construction is expected to take 12-18 months.
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