The winners are … Young artists wow the judges in the Mountain Democrat Coloring Contest. News, etc., B1
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Volume 170 • Issue 150 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Monday, December 20, 2021
Mountain Democrat file photo
Bob Billingsley was a Mountain Democrat columnist, El Dorado County probation officer and Mother Lode Lion who left his mark on the community.
Billingsley took his own advice – lived to bring joy Thomas Frey Staff writer
W
hether it was spending quality time with his family and friends, working as a probation officer and columnist or volunteering with the Mother Lode Lions Club, Bob Billingsley lived every chapter of his 82 years of life to the fullest. He found a purpose in everything he did until his passing Nov. 22 and it was rare others wouldn’t benefit from everything in his life’s work. The foundation for all of that was his wife Monika. Bob’s son Mark told the story of how his parents met. Bob was 15, Monika, 14, when he first laid eyes on her. He was playing basketball at a church in El Cerrito. He and his buddies noticed girls across the street working on a play and went over to talk to them. It was a quick match and they dated for about four years before spending the next 63 years married. He lived for her, and she for him. Whenever he had a chance, he would play “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music,” her favorite song in honor of her German heritage. They raised three children — Shelley, Mark and Heidi in Placerville. “He was a great guy and the world is a sadder place without him,” said longtime friend and retired El Dorado County public defender Steve Tapson. “He was outgoing, personable, had a sense of humor and got along with everybody.” Bob was born in Illinois and moved with his parents to the East Bay during World War II, where his father served as the Richmond police chief. Bob graduated from California State University, San Francisco, with a degree in sociology and began working for Fry’s grocery stores in the Bay Area. He was managing the most successful store in the chain and was paid very well for his efforts. n
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Mountain Democrat photos by Thomas Frey
Folsom Prison inmates load up refurbished bikes to be distributed to folks in El Dorado County. From left are Larry Farrell, Alfonso Juarez and Mike Galan. The trio worked full-time over the last year to fix up 225 bikes.
Bikes to ride again prisoners bring joy in Rotary project Thomas Frey Staff writer
S
ome 225 bicycles were lined up in front of Folsom Prison ready to be taken away by Cameron Park Rotarians Dec.
14. The bikes sat where Johnny Cash stood in 1968 before his iconic concert that turned into his first live album and topped music charts for weeks. Since the program was founded in 1986 by Rotarian and Cameron Park resident Joe Ryan, prisoners at Folsom Prison have worked full-time at redemption, refurbishing bicycles collected by Cameron Park Rotary to be distributed to youngsters and folks who need them. Folsom inmates Mike Galan, Larry Farrell and Alfonso Juarez worked all year fixing bikes brought to the prison. On a chilly Tuesday morning last week they gleefully lined up all the bikes they had spent so much time working on. Galan said the job gives him a chance to make up for his mistakes. Farrell and Juarez said it gives them great satisfaction to know the bikes will be enjoyed. Some of the bikes come to Folsom so beaten down that when they are put back together, parts from three bikes could be used to rebuild one bike, according to Juarez, who
See Billingsley, page A8
n
See Bikes, page A7
Bikes ready to ride again are lined up in front of Folsom Prison.
Garner new head of Planning and Building Eric Jaramishian Staff writer The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors named Gilroy city’s Community Development Director Karen Garner as the county’s new planning and building director Dec. 14. Out of 11 applicants, the 51-year-old Rocklin resident came out as the top candidate, replacing Tiffany Schmid, who applied and was chosen as the county assistant chief administrative officer last
month, according to county communications and outreach director Carla Hass. Garner brings with her expertise in economic and community development, parks and recreation, project management and leadership obtained from 25 years of local government planning and building experience having worked in various locations in California. As Gilroy’s community development director, Garner was responsible for building,
planning, housing, code enforcement, fire prevention and wastewater pre-treatment. Garner served briefly as the Sacramento County Regional Parks director before working in Gilroy. According to her Linkedin account, Garner got her career start in Roseville as an associate planner. She then held the position as the town’s economic development coordinator for more than 13 years, eventually n
See Garner, page A6
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