D3 Newsletter July 1, 2021

El Dorado County, California sent this bulletin at 07/01/2021 07:48 AM PDT

July 1, 2021                                                                                       

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IN THE NEWS...

Happy Independence Day

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Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! 

As we celebrate the 4th of July, may we lay aside our obsession with what divides us and remember and cherish what unites us.

Happy Independence Day.

General Plan Housing Element 2021

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The Housing Element is the main document that establishes the County's housing policies. It is intended to ensure that decent, safe, affordable shelter is provided for all residents in the unincorporated County. Every city and county in California is required to have a Housing Element. State law defines the specific topics that must be covered. These include:

• An evaluation of existing housing policies and programs

• A needs assessment, based on data on demographics and housing conditions

• An analysis of any obstacles to affordable housing production in the community

• An inventory of all potential sites where housing may be constructed

• Goals, objectives, and policies, defining the community's position on various housing issues and setting measurable targets for meeting housing needs

• An action plan identifying the specific steps the community will take to implement its housing policies

Once complete, the Housing Element must be submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development {HCD) for certification.  The State does not require cities and counties to actually build the housing necessary to meet the community's needs. However, it does require that each community adopt policies and programs to support housing development, as well as designate adequate land at appropriate densities to meet the housing needs

The Public Review Draft is available for comment until July 8th.

Public comment may be submitted by email to Cynthia.freeland@edcgov.us or by mail to C.J. Freeland, Planning and Building Department, 2850 Fairlane Court, Bldg. C, Placerville CA 95667.

2021-2029 Housing Element Update

Stage 1 Water Alert

Water

At its meeting on June 28, 2021, the EID Board of Directors voted unanimously to declare a drought emergency and to authorize a Stage 1 Water Alert for all District service areas.

The objective of a Stage 1 Water Alert is to initiate public awareness of a possible water shortage in the near future and to encourage water conservation.

“Small voluntary adjustments reducing water use, implemented early, can positively impact the District’s carryover water storage,” said EID General Manager Jim Abercrombie.

“This is especially important should precipitation levels during the 2021/2022 fall and winter season remain low. During the last drought, our customers and community came together and achieved significant conservation—some of that conservation became permanent. The small, voluntary changes we make now will have a significant effect on our water supplies.”

Stage 1 actions target up to a 15 percent demand reduction compared to 2020 levels through the implementation of voluntary customer actions. Along with many staff actions centered on customer outreach, water waste, monitoring of demands and District water supplies, EID’s Drought Action Plan identifies the following voluntary measures focused on outdoor irrigation as a way to achieve water savings.

  • Apply irrigation water during evening and early morning hours only (7 PM to 10 AM)
  • Inspect irrigation system for leaks and then repair or replace
  • Adjust sprinkler run times to avoid runoff

For up-to-date information, go to the EID website:

EID Website

Repeal of Local Health Emergency Ordinances

On June 8th, the Board  unanimously approved ending both the Public Health Emergency Declaration as well as the Proclamation of Local Emergency as related to the coronavirus based on local data.   Additionally, on June 29, we passed a Resolution affirming and supporting that decisions regarding school safety protocols, including masking requirements, reside with local school boards who are best suited to make appropriate decisions for the children and families in their districts as informed by parents, teachers, the community and local experts and data.   

As our County moves towards "normal", let us all remember that we will be in a state of transition for awhile.  We will feel differently about vaccinations.  About masking.  About all the complexities of this strange and unprecedented time....and that's okay.

We are not, nor will we ever be, a one-size-fits-all nation.  Our Country was built on the foundation of  freedom which we hold sacred.  With liberty also comes the need for personal responsibility, and it is incumbent on each one of us to find the sweet spot and walk the fine line between exercising our personal rights while also ensuring and protecting the common good. 

As we all find that balance, may we also give each other grace in how we transition.

 

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IN THIS ISSUE

  • Independence Day
  • Housing Element
  • Water Restrictions
  • Repeal Local Emergency Ordinances
  • Camino Safety Project
  • EDC Poet Laureate

Camino Safety Project Meeting

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A big thank you to all the residents who turned out for this community meeting.  I was pleased by the issues that were raised, and we will certainly be exploring solutions with Caltrans in the months ahead. 

I would also like to thank Caltrans who has been very engaged with my office as well as our agency partners in solving the issues with this project and this corridor.

PLEASE NOTE: Road work will be suspended on the project from 6 a.m. Friday, July 2 until 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 6 due to the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Construction of the Ponderado Undercrossing will continue on the north side of Highway 50 behind k-rail with no lane reductions.

Click here for updated project information

 

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EDC Poet Laureate

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Lara Gularte has been officially named El Dorado County's Poet Laureate for 2021-2023 by Arts and Culture El Dorado.  (Lara also happens to be the D3 representative to the Human Rights Commission)!

What is a Poet Laureate, you ask?  It is a distinction granted to an individual by a "conferring institution" to honor poetry as a form of art while recognizing a poet for their distinguished body of work.

Art is a connector and has the ability to transcend issues and obstacles within the human experience.  As Lara states,  “Poetry speaks to our universal values. As poet laureate of El Dorado County, I will promote an environment of respect and connection among the people in our communities through the poetry of who we are and where we live.”

Congratulations Lara for this distinguished honor.

 

What Matters in the Morning

When light fills my window and overflows the sun across my bed, I watch the mountains move closer, coming home with the daylight.

A monarch flutters into the garden, rests on a hollyhock, peacefully opens its wings.

I see something shimmer,  between the corn rows.  It's my father in old shoes and coveralls hoeing, tracking weeds along snail roads, standing up straight, head bent and focused on the endless furrows of his eighty six years.

The sun shines greenly on his hands as he listens to roots inch deeper into earth, watches baby spiders hatch, flex their legs.

When he sees me at the window, I hold my hand up to wave, he holds his, we are palm to palm.

Lara Gularte

 

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