BRUIN TAKES FVL CROWN
JUST AROUND THE CORNER
Ponderosa tennis player wins league, advances to section quarterfinals.
The holidays are almost here and El Dorado County is ready to celebrate.
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VOLUME 170 • ISSUE 131 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021
Cannabis growers plan to sue county Eric Jaramishian Staff writer El Dorado County Growers Alliance members say they plan to sue the county and its Board of Supervisors for blocking several commercial cannabis applicants from receiving licenses. Applicant and Shingle Springs resident Lee Tannenbaum said he has been in the application process since late 2019. The El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office has not given approval or denial for Tannenbaum’s application to the Planning Commission, which has seemingly been held up on background checks, according to Tannenbaum. “There have been 10,000 licenses issued in the other legalized counties in this state since the time we passed the law, but El Dorado for some reason can’t seem to issue one,” Tannenbaum said. According to the county’s ordinance code, permits are issued when background checks of all owners are completed with review and recommendation by the Sheriff ’s Office. Tannenbaum’s attorney James Brunello wrote to the Board of Supervisors Oct. 11 to address issues with the application process, which members of the Growers Alliance have also tried to do numerous times to no avail, according to the letter. Tannenbaum said he has had similar luck with Sheriff John D’Agostini. “I have been told in writing that the sheriff will not speak to me, that if I have any questions about policy or the way that they’re running their business that I need to talk to deputy county counsel Breann Moebius, who ultimately backs everything the sheriff says, because of the code that was written, which is now in effect,” Tannenbaum said. Brunello’s letter states that the permitting process ■
See CANNABIS GROWERS, page A2
Kellum named new MD editor Noel Stack Managing editor Mountain Democrat Publisher Richard Esposito has passed on his editor title to Krysten Kellum, who most recently served as the newspaper’s associate editor. “Krysten has proven that she has the determination and skill sets necessary to lead the newsroom of the Mountain Democrat,” Esposito said. “She’s PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian
Carrying Placerville’s historical name, the Hangtown Village Square sign on Broadway depicts a noose hanging from a tree. Rite Aid corporate executives want their logo removed from the sign.
Rite Aid wants logo removed from Hangtown Village sign Eric Jaramishian Staff writer Controversy continues in Placerville after Rite Aid management had its logo boarded up mid-October where it appears on the sign of the shopping center it anchors — Hangtown Village Square. The shopping center gets its name from the town’s historical name but some say it is offensive as are the hanging tree and noose that are also depicted on the sign. Rite Aid corporate representatives contacted Broadway shopping center owners Steve and Judy Puthuff Oct. 11, requesting their logo be removed, not wanting to be associated with the noose. When the Puthuffs denied
the request due to a contractual obligation to keep the company’s sign up Rite Aid had the sign boarded up the same night, according to the Puthuffs. “Rite Aid, behind our backs without knowing anything about it, covered their sign,” Steve said. “They contacted a company overnight that went in at night, after our security guards (were) gone and covered their logo on our sign.” The boards were removed. Rite Aid management’s actions came after their corporate executives were supposedly contacted by Karen Pyke, a University of California, Riverside, professor, according to a Facebook post thread on the El Dorado Progressives Facebook page.
In the thread Pyke said she wrote to Rite Aid COO Jim Peters and CEO Heyward Donigan, stating her hopes that Rite Aid will “pressure the plaza owner to change the name.” “I trust you can agree that any noose display can provoke a sense of intimidation to members of racial groups, who have in the past and continue to experience racial lynching and racial violence,” Pyke wrote to Rite Aid, according to the social media post. Pyke posted Rite Aid’s response to her, which states that Peters said, “I immediately reached out to my team members who have already activated our field team to gain See RITE AID, page A8
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Historic storm helps salmon spawn Laney Griffo Tahoe Daily Tribune
KRYSTEN KELLUM tenacious in covering local news and has been instrumental in broadening the scope of sports, feature and general news coverage. “Over the past 170 years of publication there have been many notable editors managing the news department and its coverage of our community,” the publisher added. “I’m confident Krysten will move the Mountain Democrat to an even higher level of excellence in quality journalism.” Kellum, 40, graduated from the University ■
See EDITOR, page A3
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The recordbreaking storm in late October has helped salmon spawn in Taylor Creek, an event previously threatened due to severe drought conditions. People flock to Taylor Creek each October to watch kokanee salmon fight their way upstream. Several people on Tuesday were taking in the sites of the red-colored fish from a bridge on Highway 89. According to Forest Service Aquatic Biologist Sarah Muskopf, kokanee typically spawn between September and February when there are increased stream flows and cooler
Mountain Democrat file photo by Krysten Kellum
A boost from the late October storm has helped kokanee salmon find their way to their breeding ground in Taylor Creek in the Tahoe Basin. temperatures. The Forest Service releases water reserved in Fallen Leaf Lake each October to
simulate a kokanee run. However, because of low water levels, the event was canceled this year.
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See KOKANEE, page A7
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