Cougar casualties
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Late score lone bright spot against unbeaten Bradshaw Christian.
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Volume 170 • Issue 117 | 75¢
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Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Fee refunds coming to some county residents Eric Jaramishian Staff writer Those who paid the Public Safety Impact Fee, charged to new development during the period of 2007-2016 to help fund a once-planned El Dorado County sheriff ’s substation in El Dorado Hills, will get a refund. On a 3-2 vote, El Dorado County supervisors supported returning the
approximately $445,000 plus interest collected. El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs and Rescue homeowners who built a home after the fee’s adoption and paid the fee are eligible for refunds. “We have money that was collected for a substation and it needs to be returned,” said District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin at the Sept. 28 board meeting. “That’s just how I
feel. In general, government should not be sitting on people’s money.” The decision behind the refund is two-fold. First, El Dorado County scrapped plans to build a substation after it purchased property off Missouri Flat Road in Placerville and constructed a new sheriff ’s headquarters, which opened in fall 2019. The second issue is more complex.
“In general, government should not be sitting on people’s money.” — Lori Parlin, District 4 Supervisor The Public Safety Impact fee is one of several fees mentioned in a lawsuit filed in 2015 against the county in which El Dorado Hills residents Thomas and Helen Austin allege the county, El Dorado Hills
Fire Department and El Dorado Hills Community Services District violated the California Mitigation Fee Act because the agencies did not complete and submit the act’s n
See Refunds, page A3
Mountain Democrat photo by Thomas Frey
Ryan Pullen leaves El Dorado County Superior Court Friday after pleading guilty to felony possession of child pornography charge and misdemeanor child abuse.
Former Union Mine drama teacher pleads guilty Thomas Frey Staff writer A pair of feeble guilty pleas were barely audible from former Union Mine High School drama teacher Ryan Michael Pullen as he admitted to felony possession of child pornography and misdemeanor child abuse in a Placerville courtroom last week. Pullen, who had been teaching at Union Mine n
See Guilty, page A3
City Council recall deadline approaches Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer The deadline for Placerville City Council recall organizers to PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
submit signed recall petitions to City Clerk Regina O’Connell is Monday, Oct. 11, at 9 a.m. The recall targets four of five council members for each of which 1,672 registered city voters’ signatures are needed. O’Connell will verify the signatures and, if they are satisfactory, submit a certificate of sufficiency to City Council. Recall proponent Mandi Rodriguez said 600 petitions had been signed and returned as of Oct. 5. The special election, if it were to happen, would be similar to the recent recall effort of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Voters are asked to n
See Recall, page A7
U.S. Forest Service photo by Kristi Schroeder
Heavy equipment operators remove hazard trees along roads in the Silver Fork/Mormon Emigrant Trail area Oct. 2-3. U.S. Forest Service officials say they do not yet know where felled trees will go.
All evacuation orders lifted; post-fire work in full swing has the longest stretch of unsecured containment As firefighters inch line remaining on the toward full containment Caldor Fire, according of the 221,775-acre Caldor to the U.S. Forest Fire, the El Dorado Service and California County Sheriff ’s Office Interagency Incident announced Monday all Management Team 13 evacuation orders and operations map. warnings in the county Firefighters reported have been lifted. seeing some spotting A closure order on across the fire line over much of the Eldorado the weekend in the Omo National Forest around Ranch area and across the Caldor burn area Highway 88 in between remains in place. Caples Lake and Silver Fire officials estimate Lake. Fire crews are full containment by Oct. patrolling those lines. 16. U.S. Forest Service and In the meantime fire Team 13 data showed personnel continue to containment at 93% work to suppress a small Tuesday morning. fire, dubbed the Smith Lower temperatures Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service Fire, burning between and higher humidity Twenty-two watersheds were impacted by the Caldor Wrights Lake and forecast through Fire and will be treated to reduce post-fire hazards, Desolation Wilderness. including Trout Creek on the east side of the Caldor midweek should aid From Caples Lake north the containment effort, Fire burn area. to Scout Peak firefighters especially if the 35-40 are trying to get Caldor mph wind gusts predicted for ridge lines and under control. Along Schneider Camp Road, upper slopes Tuesday night don’t throw embers which was reinforced as a fire break, fire crews n See containment, page A3 are keeping an eye out for active fire. The area Mountain Democrat staff
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