el dorado county

El Dorado County was selected as the "2017 Paving the Way" award by the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC) einner on December 6. This single award ecognizes a community that has achieved exceptional economic development results during the year.

“For the last 18 months, El Dorado County has developed and executed a strategic approach to economic development in order to elevate the profile of our part of the Greater Sacramento Region,” said Don Ashton, the County’s Chief Administrative Officer.

Flu season is ramping up and the El Dorado County Public Health is reminding people to get vaccinated. Two Washoe County residents in their 80s died this week due to the flu.

“Thanksgiving week was the first week this fall that the numbers of people in the U.S. who saw their healthcare providers for flu-like symptoms were higher than baseline, heralding the onset of the flu season,” said El Dorado County Health Officer, Dr. Nancy Williams. “Vaccination can prevent the flu.”

The following is the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) roadwork schedule for the Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County area.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

Stephan L. DeGraffenreid will be spending the next 15 years in prison after being sentenced Wednesday by United States District Judge Howard D. McKibben.

DeGraffenreid plead guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in September. He was sentenced to the minimum number of years for those charges.

Four people were arrested by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) after a child was found asleep in a car full of hypodermic needles and pill bottles at the Red Hawk Casino in Shingle Springs, Calif.

Security officers from the casino noticed the car in their parking structure with the occupants asleep with a child asleep in the back seat. As they looked closer they could also see many hypodermic needles and pill bottles throughout the vehicle and called the deputies.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

11/17

10:58 p.m. - Driving without a license - Stockton Ave - A TRAFFIC STOP WAS CONDUCTED ON A VEHICLE FOR AN INFRACTION. IT WAS LATER LEARNED THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE WAS UNLICENSED. THE 32-YEAR-OLD FEMALE DRIVER WAS LATER CITED AND RELEASED.

Vehicles without the proper traction control device on their cars while on El Dorado County roads this winter may be fined and/or towed.

Massive traffic jams on Sundays in Meyers throughout last winter led drivers onto side streets without chains or snow tires on their vehicles, creating a parking lot of disabled cars that were stuck in the snow. Those drivers attempting to circumvent traffic ended up using Manda, North Upper Truckee and other local roads but a new ordinance will try and alleviate those issues.

South Lake Tahoe and Gardnerville men were arrested in Douglas County on November 19, 2017 on suspicion of drug trafficking and related charges.

A formerly homeless Navy veteran in El Dorado County now has a place to call home thanks to the kindness of many in the community.

Keith Lozier moved into Eskaton Lincoln Manor in Placerville Monday, the first home he has had in years.

A patrol sergeant with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) first came across Lozier as he was picking up trash in the Cameron Park Safeway parking lot. He told the sergeant that he was cleaning up trash “because it was the right thing to do.”

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors have voted for a temporary ban of commercial licenses for both medical and recreational cannabis in El Dorado County with the exception of medical cannabis dispensaries allowed to operate under ordinance 4999.

At the same time, they voted to create a new ad hoc Cannabis Advisory Committee to study and create ballot measures for different cannabis commercial uses tied to
taxation for a local election.

Supervisor Sue Novasel, who represents the South Shore will join Supervisor Ranalli on the new committee.

Dear Editor;

In writing this letter, I am only expressing my own opinion and not that of
any organization or entity.

Vacation Home Rentals (VHRs) in the County are out of control. As is
evidenced by the number of residents complaining about noise, parking, trash,
over-occupancy, etc, it is time for our government representatives to act and
change the current ordinance to respect our rights to live in peaceful
neighborhoods.

There are many issues surrounding VHRs that need to be addressed, but I

Cub Scout Pack 592 of South Lake Tahoe held their fifth annual Police and Fire Night at St. Theresa’s Grace Hall on November 14.

Scouts were able to see first-hand the tools and techniques that first responders use to keep the community safe and how they work together when someone needs help.

The following is the scheduled roadwork by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for roads on the California side of Lake Tahoe and in El Dorado County.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

11-15-17 update can be found here: http://southtahoenow.com/story/11/15/2017/update-recovered-bodies-fallen-leaf-lake

Bruce's Legacy, the underwater search and recovery team from Wisconsin, was at Fallen Leaf Lake recently, searching the water for a missing person. What they found was more than expected when bodies of both a man and woman were recovered.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in El Dorado County is among the first of the NAMI Affiliates in the nation to offer "NAMI Family & Friends," a new NAMI four-hour seminar.

"We are delighted to be able to provide an educational experience for those that care deeply about a family member or friend in the community," said Jeanne Nelson, NAMI El Dorado County President. "In just four hours the participants may walk away with some tools and techniques that could directly make a positive difference in the recovery process."

Unknowingly, visitors to South Lake Tahoe are renting legitimate vacation homes through illegitimate parties, leaving them without money or a place to stay when they arrive.

South Tahoe Now has been warning people for years about renting both short-term and long-term homes through Craigslist, the online classified ad forum.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is warning potential vacation home renters that scams continue on Craigslist.

American Century Championship continues to impact the South Shore of Lake Tahoe, even months after the annual tournament is over. Since its inception in 1990, the tournament has donated more than $4.5 million to local and national non-profits.

On Thursday, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and American Century Investments gave 30 local organizations checks in the amount of $500 to $5,000 to help them serve the community.

Taxpayer Watchdogs For Dan Dellinger Recorder-Clerk will be hosting a “Campaign Launch” fundraising reception at Crystal Basin Winery in Camino on Wednesday Evening November 15 from 5:30 p.m to 9:00 p.m. Donation is $60 couples and $35 for singles with the proceeds going to help pay for important campaign material such as signs and voter education brochures to help elect Dellinger. All people interested in helping Dellinger improve County government and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, are encouraged to attend and support Dellinger’s election.

Meyers, the commercial, public services, and recreation hub of unincorporated El Dorado County at the South Shore may soon have a new area plan.

The Meyers Area Plan is the comprehensive long-term plan for the Meyers Community and, if approved, will replace the original Meyers Community Plan (MCP) adopted in 1993. The MCP currently serves as the comprehensive land use and zoning plan for the community of Meyers, consistent with the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan and the El Dorado County General Plan. It was originally meant to last a decade, not the almost 25 years its been in place.

The is a current scam in California that targets people enrolled in public assistance programs in the state. Though there are no known victims in El Dorado County, the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) would like to let all users of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to be on the lookout for potential scammers using text messaging.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

10/25

Its election time and the only local issue is Measure C; an increase of one-half percent in local sales tax (excludes groceries and prescriptions) for a term of 15 years to fund road rehabilitation. I voted YES to the measure because there is no long term funding solution within the current budget or the foreseeable future. And, our roads are in terrible shape.

Many of South Lake Tahoe's roads are decades past their prime, and Measure C is in front of voters November 7 to increase taxes by one-half percent to pay for their maintenance and repair.

I support Measure C and let me tell you why, but it will have to start with a look back to see how we got here.

The updated Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets Project was presented to the community Thursday night, with changes incorporated after input from the public at their first meeting August 17, 2017.

Funded by grants, the .6 mile stretch of Sierra Boulevard starting at Highway 50 will have Class 1 and Class 2 bike lanes, parallel parking spots, reduced lane size, lighted sidewalks, underground utilities, landscaping, crosswalks and water quality improvements.