SEEING STARS
Happy couple
Another big celebrity added to the American Century Championship lineup.
The Kenworthys celebrate 65 years of marriage.
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170
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
th
Volume 170 • Issue 78 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Monday, July 5, 2021
County’s own at athletic top Eric Jaramishian Staff writer El Dorado County supervisors recognized local, powerhouse athletes last week — Bryce Mefford and Ian Book. A county resolution marks the exceptional achievements that have led the athletes to the Olympics and National Football League. Mefford was honored for qualifying for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games in the 200meter backstroke and Book for being picked up by the New Orleans Saints in the 2021 NFL fourth-round draft pick. Mefford, an Oak Ridge High School alumnus, was named Sierra Marlin of the Year in 2015 and 2016 for the Sierra Marlins Swim Team. Mefford swam all four years of his high school career with the Trojans and helped the the boys team win the CIF State Swim Championships in 2016 and 2017. Mefford joined the University of California, Berkley, swim team, ranking No. 2 in the school’s history in 200 backstroke and No. 5 in 200 free, which earned him All-America honors with memorable swims in both events. Mefford set a Cal record in the 800-yard n
See County's own, page A3
Frazier named county surveyor Eric Jaramishian Staff writer Brian Frazier has been appointed El Dorado County surveyor. His term is effective July 3 and will end Jan. 2, 2023. Frazier has 33 years of experience as a surveyor. Before Brian Frazier being appointed as the county’s assistant surveyor in April 2020, he worked in the private sector as a surveyor, starting in 1988. He has lived in the county since 1999 and currently resides in Diamond Springs. Prior to that, he lived in Crescent City. The appointment comes following the late county Surveyor Phil Mosbacher’s June 10 death. “I believe Brian is very well qualified for the position and looking at his background, his application when he applied to work with the county and conversations with him, I’m 100% that (he is a top candidate n
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See Frazier, page A3
Mountain Democrat photos by Eric Jaramishian
New Beginnings Gold Country founder Randy Haskins delivers a box of trash bags to residents of a homeless camp along upper Broadway in Placerville where accumulating waste has been a community concern.
‘Opportunities must outweigh obstacles’
in homeless camp cleanup
Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
picking up more than 4,000 pounds worth of trash, emember Randy Haskins, that big pile founder and of garbage director of New that kept piling up Beginnings, said earlier this year he thought it was near a homeless time for a different encampment along approach. upper Broadway in The solution? Placerville? Guide those who Help came this live there to pick up year and after after themselves. some effort by New The purpose? Beginnings Gold Two-fold: To keep Country, a re-entry the community ministry focused on trash-free and helping individuals serve as a guiding Homeless camp occupant Diamond Dave picks up trash at the encampment coming out of last week. Dave has been encouraging others to help him keep the camp clean. force to help juvenile hall, jail individuals rise out and prison, camp of homelessness. showed up in force and were occupants are now “There’s a good part of that assisted by city dump trucks during keeping the area clean on their population that is perfectly fine cleanups in January and again in own. with where they’re at and how April. New Beginnings volunteers After the second time out and n See Cleanup, page A8
R
CDFW lands to get fire resiliency treatment California Department of Fish and Wildlife The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has undertaken the largest wildfire protection and resiliency effort in its history, working to safeguard nearly all of its wildlife areas, ecological reserves and the surrounding communities from wildfire ahead of peak wildfire season this summer and fall. Wildfire resiliency work is under way at dozens of CDFW-owned properties statewide. These efforts include creating fire breaks, removing brush and other wildfire
fuel, thinning overgrown vegetation, expanding livestock grazing and conducting controlled burns when conditions safely permit. The unprecedented undertaking is the result of Senate Bill 85, the Wildfire Forest and Resilience Early Action Package, state legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in April that authorized $536 million in wildfire protection and resiliency spending in the current fiscal year. CDFW is budgeted to receive $15 million of those funds to better n
See Fire breaks, page A6
Photo courtesy of CDFW
Heavy equipment will be deployed to create fire breaks on California Department of Fish and Wildlife areas across the state.
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