In an effort to support local hospitals impacted by the sharp rise in COVID-related cases, Public Health is extending its late summer Health Warning and urging all residents to use high-quality medical masks while in all indoor settings around others to protect against the highly infectious Omicron and Delta variants. The rapid increase in cases and hospitalizations in recent days strongly suggests Omicron is spreading widely in Placer as throughout the region. Learn more

The California Department of Public Health is requiring masks to be worn in all indoor public settings, irrespective of vaccine status, until Feb. 15. This requirement will be updated as CDPH continues to assess conditions on an ongoing basis. Read more

Our Board of Supervisors this week ratified the county’s Dec. 28 proclamation of a local emergency due to the ongoing threat from winter storm conditions. During the presentation the board also heard about the 24/7 effort by our county departments and first responder partners to help our affected communities. Read more

County roads crews and partners from CAL FIRE and PG&E worked around the clock this week to remove fallen trees, plow snow-covered roads and restore power to foothills and mountain communities.While there is still much work to be completed the recovery effort to date has been successful thanks to a strong collaborative effort. Here’s a look behind the scenes of the emergency response effort. Watch the video

No matter where you live in Placer County, Christmas trees are chipped for use as mulch or added to compost. This reduces methane production at the landfill! Learn more

New state regulations require residents and businesses to recycle their organic waste as of Jan. 1. This means things like food scraps, yard waste, paper, and cardboard must be kept out of the landfill, where they produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The good news is, if you receive garbage service in Placer County, our materials recovery facilities are already recycling many of these materials for you. Just like we already separate recyclables like plastics and metals from your garbage, our promise, “you toss, we sort,” goes for a lot of your organic waste, too. Learn more

Save the date for our upcoming Placer County Parks and Trails Master Plan virtual town hall meeting set for Jan. 27. The first-ever parks and trails master plan provides a 10-year vision for the development and operation of parks and trails throughout the county. The plan will respond to individual community needs and current trends while also planning for how you can explore and enjoy parks and trails in the future. Stay tuned for meeting details! Learn more

Thank you very much for reading this newsletter! We’re proud and work hard to provide you the best information we can to help you stay informed about what’s going on in our community. But we are always striving to do better. Please help us make this newsletter the best it can be by taking our short reader survey. We’d greatly appreciate your input! Take survey

The Placer County District Attorney’s Office is now accepting applications for its spring 2022 citizens academy. During the nine-week program participants will learn about the District Attorney’s Office, its role within the criminal justice system and the services it provides to the community. Learn more

January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. We’re honored to be a part of the Placer County Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Team helping children who are victims or are at risk of being exploited in our community. The CSEC Team is composed of members from KidsFirst, law enforcement agencies, mental health agencies, probation, District Attorney’s Office and Children’s System of Care. Learn more