A night for the fans
Hot summer concert
Placerville Speedway will host Thompson’s Fan Appreciation Night this Saturday.
Two headliners to rock at Saureel Vineyards.
New, etc., B1
Sports, A6
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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 86 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Friday, July 23, 2021
Suspects in deputy’s slaying seek venue change Thomas Frey Staff writer
Juan Carlos Vazquez-Orozco
Christopher Ross
Two men charged in the death of El Dorado County sheriff’s deputy Brian Ishmael will have their request for a change of venue heard Sept. 21-23. Christopher Ross and Juan Carlos Vazquez-Orozco and their legal representation appeared in El Dorado County Superior Court Wednesday morning to discuss the request. Lawyers privately conferred with Superior Court Judge Kenneth Melikian for about an hour before the judge continued the matter and vacated the previously set trial start date of
Aug. 17. Ross and Vazquez-Orozco are now scheduled for a five-week trial beginning Oct. 19, just a few days shy of the second anniversary of Ishmael’s death. On Oct. 23, 2019, Ishmael and another deputy entered the Somerset property owned by Ross after receiving a call from the owner alleging an attempted robbery. Ross reportedly neglected to inform dispatchers that one of the men on his property possessed a firearm and that the men had been living there while illegally growing marijuana. Vazquez-Orozco is accused of firing the shot that killed Ishmael
Living together New learning center connects residents with animal neighbors
Laney Griffo Tahoe Daily Tribune
S
OUTH LAKE TAHOE — Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care recently celebrated the opening of its Outdoor Learning Center, the first public component of the organization’s new $6 million campus. LTWC has been rescuing, rehabbing and releasing orphaned and injured wild birds and animals since 1978. In 2015 leaders purchased a 27-acre property, allowing them to quadruple the space available to care for animals. While LTWC is extremely proud of the facilities, because of health and safety concerns of the animals the general public is not allowed inside. However, a good portion n
Courtesy photo
The bald eagle, Em, and a handler, above, are the stars of a presentation at the new Tahoe Wildlife Care Outdoor Learning Center. LTWC can serve thousands of animals each year, including porcupines, right photo.
See Center, page A10
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
on scene and another shot that struck the deputy’s ride-along partner, who was treated and released from the hospital. Federal court documents provide a step-by-step glimpse of the events leading up to the shooting, stating that in early July 2019 Ross entered a business relationship with someone he knew as “Jaime” that permitted Jaime and his associates to cultivate marijuana on Ross’ Somerset property in exchange for $13,000. At the time of the shooting, Jaime had paid Ross $10,000 through cash and a Jeep Cherokee, with the remaining n
See Hearing, page A8
Leaders hash out housing issues Eric Jaramishian Staff writer The El Dorado County’s Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission met this week to discuss the county’s housing needs for the next eight years. Topping the needs list is more middle-class housing and a plan to address homelessness. El Dorado County’s Housing Element, part of the General Plan, provides information on current “… we need to and future housing needs and step up and get outlines programs, policies and strategies needed to fulfill these that affordable needs. The plan is updated every housing eight years. Public comment during incentivized and Monday’s meeting, during which encouraged to no action was taken as this was be built …” just a chance to review the draft Housing Element update, speakers — Supervisor addressed issues such as affordable John Hidahl housing, requiring smoke-free units and the county homelessness issue. The county’s 2013 Housing Element included a 10-year plan to house the county’s homeless, but, as some pointed out, had little success. Findings included in the Housing Element update state at least 613 EDC residents are experiencing homelessness. “That is a great example of a plan gone awry,” said Maureen Dion-Perry, a Camino resident. “You would think you would have a little bit of progress.” Seven new housing implementation measures are included in the 2021 Housing Element update, including HO-36, which promotes middle-income housing — something county leaders and speakers acknowledged is lacking. “I know of a lot of friends my age and my sister’s age who grew up in this county who can’t afford to live here,” said District 5 Planning Commissioner Amanda Ross. “They are professionals, they have middle- to upper-income paying jobs and they cannot afford to live here. “The discussion of middle housing needs to be in this element update,” she added. “This is eight years. If it doesn’t
Photo by Laney Griffo / Tahoe Daily Tribune
n
See Housing, page A9
Cool Dollar General reviews, reports approved Eric Jaramishian Staff writer El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to uphold the approval of the Cool Dollar General’s design review permit and environmental impact report, paving the way for construction of the 9,100-square-foot commercial building at 1020 Northside Drive, complete with a driveway, parking lot, landscaping improvements and proper signage. Two appeals, one made by Woodcrest Real Estate Ventures and another by the Divide Preservation Society and the Cool Pilot Hill Advisory Committee, were reviewed at the June 29 meeting and ultimately denied,
both in a 3-2 vote by the supervisors. The appeal from Woodcrest came from conditions that certain requirements such as a 4-foot-wide asphalt pedestrian path along Highway 49 to the project’s driveway and a Class I bike path must be constructed, which the business claimed was financially and technologically unfeasible. The other appeal contended that the EIR report violates the California Environmental Quality Act and the El Dorado County General Plan, citing that air quality, aesthetics and pedestrian and cyclist safety were an issue. Beyond the two appeals, the introduction of the Dollar General has not been well-
received by some Cool residents, who have voiced concerns ranging from how the store would impact the community to how big rigs would impact traffic on narrow roads and how the chain store would impact other local businesses. Developer SimonCRE Abbie tried getting a Dollar General implemented in Georgetown, but was ultimately shutdown in March 2019 following lawsuits, even though the El Dorado County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors approved of the project. The lawsuit for that project also cited the violation of CEQA. District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin and District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo were the two “no” votes during this round.
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