 The holiday season is in full swing, and the EDC Chamber of Commerce offers a great reminder to Shop Small! It really matters where you buy your gifts and supplies for your holiday needs. After all, it is our small businesses who support our non-profits and our community needs and who give generously of their time to make our county what it is. It is important for us all to remember that the success of our local businesses is directly attributed to our support!
See this fabulous EDC Chamber video with some messages from many of our friends and neighbors. Happy Shopping!
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El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health, was awarded the designation of national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board after a rigorous, multi-faceted peer-reviewed assessment!
A hearty congratulations to everyone involved!
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 Water is such a critical issue for our county and our state, and it was a privilege to represent the El Dorado Water Agency at the ACWA Conference (Association of California Water Agencies) in Pasadena this year. Highlights included a private meeting with the Bureau of Reclamation which gave us the opportunity to present our priorities for El Dorado County.
The largest benefits of this live conference was the ability to network and connect, even within our own agency. It was incredibly productive to have time with our lobbyists, Mark Smith and the Ferguson Group, with our consultant from Stantec, and of course, our General Manager Ken Payne who is widely regarded across the state. I found our time together very beneficial!
 SACOG Board Chair (and Placer County Supervisor) Bonnie Gore hosted an informal get together of SACOG board members. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments is made up of county supervisors and councilmembers who are committed to advancing economic prosperity, connected communities and vibrant places across our 28 member cities and counties. While we have worked together all year, this gathering was the first time that many of us had actually met, and it was an evening of celebration and rich dialog. I feel privileged to serve on this board with inspired leaders.
Hemp is a complex issue. On one hand, it is a legal agricultural crop under the 2018 USDA Farm Bill and in the Ag Element of our General Plan, Goal 8.2 speaks of the objective to "expand agricultural-related uses allowed" given that Ag is critically important to our economy and culture. That said, the Industrial Hemp Industry is certainly an emerging industry, and there are a lot of inherent conflicts and valid concerns.
For the past year, a joint working group of the Ag Commission and CEDAC (Community and Economic Development Advisory Committee, headed by David Bolster and Lexi Boeger) worked with staff to analyze this industry, and they presented Letters of Recommendation to the BOS on December 7th. That said, because of the conflicts and concerns raised, staff presented an alternate recommendation for a permanent ban on industrial hemp.
Of largest concern are the community and law enforcement safety issues. Industrial hemp is a derivative of the plant Cannabis sativa L. and that plant can also be grown for cannabis purposes. This makes it difficult for law enforcement and code enforcement to independently distinguish between an industrial hemp plant and a cannabis plant without obtaining samples for testing and having those samples tested. Also, because this is an industry in transition, there are a lot of unresolved issues in regards to fee structures, profitability, demand and staff resources.
On December 7th, the BOS held a public hearing to consider our path forward given these complexities. Ultimately, in a 5/0 vote, the BOS decided to extend the interim moratorium on the cultivation of industrial hemp for 12 months. In a second motion with a 3/2 vote, the BOS also directed staff and the joint working group to continue to explore IF the valid concerns to law enforcement and safety issues, impact to neighbors, county cost to regulate and internal staffing capacity can be successfully resolved in an ordinance, and by the end of 2022, either bring back an ordinance for an industrial hemp pilot program or an ordinance for the permanent ban on industrial hemp.
Link to Agenda Item with all the presentations
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