Mountain Democrat, Friday, February 17, 2023

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Patricia Ann Speed

aug. 24, 1950 – feb. 2, 2023

Patricia Ann Speed passed away Feb. 2, at her home in Placerville. She was born in Illinois. She is survived by her husband of 25 years, Mark Speed, her daughters Jackie Travis, and Laura Prakash, 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her mother Rita Merridith, and her brothers, William Hembry, and Rick Hembry.

Patricia was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She will be dearly missed. She was a strong, hard working woman who weathered every storm. She was devoted to family, and friends. Her smile will be missed.

James Salomon

mar. 17, 1935 – Jan. 12, 2023

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of my father, Jim Salomon, who passed away peacefully at age 87. My dad enjoyed woodworking, garage-tinkering, and caring for the people he loved. He leaves behind his wife Judith, daughter Leslie, son David, and grandchildren, Christina and Ryan.

Earl R. (Trey)

Washburn M.D.

June 18, 1947 – Dec. 20, 2022

Earl “Trey” Robert Washburn passed away on December 20, in his home in Placerville, California. He and his brother Steven were raised in Stockton, California, by his parents Earl and JaNette Washburn. He is survived by wife Marian Washburn, sons Daniel (Kristina), Alex (Joanna), brother Steven (Kathy), grandchildren Addison, Jack, Lucy and Samuel, honorary daughter Soledad Martinez Montequin (Mikel) and many dearly loved cousins.

He lived a life of humor, music, learning, family, and service to his community.

Trey graduated from the University of the Pacific, where he met Marian. He attained his MD in Pediatrics from the University of California at Davis and San Francisco. He and his family moved to Placerville in 1976. There, Trey founded El Dorado Pediatric Medical Group and was soon joined by Dr. Jeffrey Rabinovitz.

Trey spent his entire professional career as a Pediatrician in Placerville, while also serving as Chief of Staff at Marshall Hospital, Placerville; Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at UC Davis Medical School; Advisor to P.R.I.D.E. and Joy; member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of El Dorado County; and Commissioner of First Five California, El Dorado County.

As well as his local affiliations, Trey served with great pride in leadership roles with Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society, Sierra Health Foundation Board of Directors, California Medical Association House of Delegates and the American Medical Association House of Delegates

As a youngster and an adult, Trey loved hiking and camping. He participated in Outward Bound and organized group camps with his friends and their families. On these occasions, he would pull out the guitar for fireside sing-alongs. He enjoyed sailing as well as hiking with his peers in a group known as the “Old Goats.”

Trey was an avid national and international traveler, coordinating many trips with friends and family over the years to destinations near and far.

Carrying a lifelong love of science and Science Fiction, he was especially fond of aerospace and weather gadgetry. In retirement, he began the pursuit of creative writing and was happiest when writing stories for his four grandchildren. He belonged to multiple writing groups which led him to new and rewarding friendships.

Despite his own lifelong difficult health challenges, Trey devoted his career to the wellbeing of young people with deep caring for those with special needs.

Donations supporting Trey’s values may be made to Snowline Hospice, El Dorado Community Foundation, or Motherlode Rehabilitation Enterprise (M.O.R.E.).

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, April 23rd, 3:00 p.m. at the Federated Church.

Edith Caroline Coalson/Berger

Jan. 7, 1929 – oct. 8, 2022

Long time resident of Placerville died in Fresno with family members in attendance.

She was 93.

She was preceded in death by two husbands; Rex Coalson in 2004 and Ed Berger in 2019. She is survived by her three children; Gerald Coalson, Warren Coalson and Alene Ferretta; eleven grandchildren, thirtythree great-grandchildren and two great-greatgrandchildren.

During her life she traveled extensively throughout the U.S., visiting all fifty states. She also traveled through Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama.

She was loved by her family and large circle of friends. She will be missed by all of us.

A service will be held Feb. 25 at 2:00 p.m. in Placerville at Our Savior Episcopal Church, 2979 Coloma St. which she attended for over 40 years.

Those who wish to send flowers please consider a donation to her favorite charity instead; Our Savior Episcopal Church of Placerville.

Nancy Virginia Farrell

Dec. 25, 1934 – Jan. 27, 2023

Nancy Virginia Farrell, age 88, of Placerville, passed away due to natural causes on Jan. 27. She leaves behind a loving family and many friends. Nancy was born to Hollie and Ruth Koch in Cheyenne, Wyo. on Christmas

Day in 1934. In 1947, she moved with her parents to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Calif. in 1952. Nancy then graduated from the Grace Ball Secretarial School in 1953, where she was commended by Grace Ball herself for her “excellent accuracy” in typing and the “attractiveness” of her shorthand.

Putting her secretarial skills to work, Nancy was employed as the secretary to the editor of Sunset Magazine in Menlo Park, Calif. Nancy and her husband at the time, Paul Van Erden, moved to Sutter Creek, Calif. in 1957. After Paul and Nancy moved to Placerville in 1969, she began working part time for Sunset Magazine, indexing all of the articles that were published by the magazine. When her children reached middle school age, Nancy began working as a school secretary, first at Herbert C. Green Middle School (Placerville) and then later at Charles F. Brown Elementary School (Diamond Springs). Her proudest life’s work was raising her three children.

Nancy was married three times during her long life. In addition to her first marriage to Paul in 1953, she was the loving wife of Irving “Jim” Farrell from 1982 until his untimely death in 1993. She and Jim lived in Pollock Pines where she made many lifelong friends. After Jim’s passing, Nancy returned to Placerville where she was married to Robert “Bob” Dutton from 1999 until his passing in 2009. With both Jim and Bob, Nancy was very active in the community and enjoyed traveling widely. With her marriages, Nancy embraced numerous step-children, step-grandchildren, and new in-laws.

Throughout her life, Nancy enjoyed sewing, tole painting, playing pinochle and bunco, entertaining, walking, and traveling. Nancy was an active member of the Federated Church, (including the Federated Church Women), the Widowed Persons Association of California, and the Placerville Shakespeare Club. Her giving personality and kind demeanor meant that a circle of caring friends surrounded her. She has said that the thing she is most proud of is that she was always polite and kind to others.

Three children survive Nancy from her first marriage to Paul: son Lynn Van Erden and daughterin-law Melodie Van Erden (Anderson) of Pollock Pines, Calif; daughter Jean Eckles (Van Erden) and son-in-law Vince Eckles of Big Bear, Calif; daughter Kristin Hayes (Van Erden) and son-in-law David Hayes of Colorado Springs, Colo. She is also survived by her loving brother, David Koch, and sister-in-law Sheila Koch of San Mateo, Calif; and her sisterin-law, Nancy Koch (wife of Nancy’s late brother, Richard Koch) of Hillsborough, Calif. Nancy leaves behind six adoring grandsons: Gunner and Erik Van Erden, Bailey and Corbin Eckles, and Travis and Connor Hayes.

A memorial service will be held for Nancy at 10:00

A.M., Friday, March 3. It will take place at Federated Church Placerville (1031 Thompson Way), followed by a reception on premises. She will be interred at Westwood Hills Memorial Park in Placerville during a small family gathering. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation in Nancy’s memory to Snowline Hospice, Placerville.

–

oBitUarieS

Lucy Ann Barnes

July 20, 1931 – feb. 6, 2023

Lucy Ann Barnes died early Monday morning, 6 February 2023 of natural causes. She was born on 20 July 1931 to Frances and Ivan Ryerson.

The family lived in Columbus and Urbana, Ohio until 1943, then moved to Santa Monica, CA where Ivan was employed as a salesman for a plastics company during the war years; selling plastic components used in military aircraft etc. Lucy attended junior high and high school at Santa Monica, then completed her AA at college in Stockton. She met her future husband, Robert Barnes at college, and married him after he graduated from the USAF Officer Candidate school in 1951. Bob served seven years in the military as a B-29 and B-47 pilot , then spent 17 years in test engineering and corporate marketing at Raytheon Missile Systems Division. Bob’s career led the family ( 3 sons and one daughter) to live in beautiful Malibu CA. and not so beautiful New Carlisle, Ohio.

Once the kids graduated from high school they all abandoned Ohio and returned to California. Bob and Lucy followed their kids back to California in 1980, residing in their home on Mortara Circle until 2017. Lucy was a real estate agent in Placerville, CA for over 30 years . She started with Wentz Realty and eventually she and Bob became partners of American Heritage Real Estate with their dear friends Ron and Jan Murphy . She loved her job and all the friends she made working during her career. Lucy is survived by her four children, five grandchildren, two brothers and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Services will be held at 2:00 PM on 24 February at the Federated Church in Placerville, followed by a reception at the Shakespeare Club from 3-5 PM . All her friends are welcome to attend.

Kathleen Garnet

McCoy

nov. 29, 1943 – feb. 3, 2023

Kathleen Garnet McCoy (nee Brayer) of Fairfield, Calif., (lately of El Dorado) passed away Feb. 3 at the age of 79. She was born Nov. 29, in Denver, Colo. and grew up there, in England; Evanston, Ill; Phoenix, Ariz; and Riverside, Calif. with her parents and three siblings of whom she was the oldest.

After meeting her husband John while she was at UCLA and he at Caltech, she married and later graduated from Cal State LA in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. Kathy worked initially as a teacher of English and Social Studies before transitioning into IT after a move to Massachusetts. Returning to California in the mid-1980s, she spent nearly 20 years an official QA “breaker” of technology for companies including MCI, Novell, and Blue Martini.

Kathy was known as the Energizer Bunny to her children and grandchildren and as a great mentor and friend to her students and colleagues. She was a master of the domestic arts as well the subjunctive and spreadsheets. She served as a Girl Scout leader and in retirement was an active volunteer with the El Dorado Democrats, AAUW, and the League of Women Voters.

She is preceded in death by her parents Garnet and Herbert Brayer, historians and a very peripatetic couple. She is survived by her husband of 60 years John and children John Jr, and daughter Kristine and Kristine’s children Graeme Thistlewaite and Ainsley Thistlewaite as well as her siblings Penelope Klipfel, Herbert Oliver (Terry) Brayer Jr, and Michael Brayer and their families.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Kathy’s honor to AAUW Tech Trek summer STEM program for girls at https://www. aauw-ca.org/category/aauw-fund/

Charles “Charlie” Wagaman

July 1, 1927 – Jan. 3, 2023

Charles “Charlie” Wagaman born July 1, 1927, in Basehor, Kansas, passed away on January 3, 2023, at the age of 95 in Roseville, California. He was a long time resident of Placerville until he moved to the Big Island in 2001 after the passing of his wife, Shirley Wagaman, only returning for health care and to be closer to family. He was predeceased by parents, Randall Parker Wagaman and Vera Mary (Blake) Wagaman; all wives Doris (Anderson) Wagaman, Shirley (Bisiaux) Wagaman and Kimie (Yamazaki) Wagaman; son Steve Wagaman, all his 8 siblings and many, many friends. He is survived by daughter, Sandy (Brian) Green, 4 grandchildren, 4 great grandsons, and many nieces and nephews. He was a U.S. Army veteran, worked many years for Aerojet, Gold Trail and Black Oak Mine Unified School Districts, and the Mountain Democrat.

He was a past member of the Coloma Grange serving as secretary and Grange Master; loved golfing, painting, swimming, photography, baseball, singing, showing visitors around the Big Island, and playing cribbage. He was known as the cribbage king in Hawaii and few could beat him. He was loved by all who met him for his kindness, honesty, integrity and great sense of humor. Memorial services in California and Hawaii to be held in the future. At his wishes, he will once again go to Hilo Bay on the Big Island. His family has a hole in their hearts, but at the age of 95, he was ready to greet those in heaven that had predeceased him.

Rayona (Mickey) Clancy

oct. 28, 1928 – feb. 8, 2023

Rayona (Mickey) Clancy, resident of Placerville, Ca., passed away on Feb. 8, 2023.

Services to be announced at a later date. Chapel of the Pines is in charge of arrangements.

Jeanne Henes Jones

nov. 30, 1930 – Jan. 17, 2023

Jeanne Henes Jones born November 30, 1930 passed away peacefully at her home in Placerville on January 17, 2023. She was 92 years old.

Jeanne was fond of recounting her wonderful childhood growing up in the small town of Menominee. She was a proud Yooper-those who hail from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The shores of Green Bay, Lake Michigan along which Menominee was situated brought her many fond memories. Summers were filled with swimming, sailing, and walking along the beach.

Jeanne met her future husband, David L. Jones, while in the sixth grade. She and David often walked along the shores and looked for fossils washed up on the beach. David was intrigued by this evidence of ancient life. Little did Jeanne know how his passion for all things rock would create a driving force in their lives. They were married in her parents’ home in Menominee on June 18, 1953. They were married for 54 years.

Jeanne and David relocated to California where David finished up his graduate work in geology. Jeanne described California of the 1950s as an absolute paradise, and she fell in love with its beauty. Jeanne shared her love of nature and its rejuvenating powers with her four children. To her, it was a personal requirement to spend time outdoors soaking it all in. Routinely, the family spent a day hiking at one of the Bay Area’s local parks. Summers were spent backpacking in the high Sierras. Jeanne spent subsequent years hiking, birdwatching, backpacking, and reveling in the grandeur of California.

In 1981, Jeanne and David purchased a 65-acre pear farm in Placerville with the goal of starting a family vineyard and winery. Over the next 35 years, Jeanne and David, and their sons built what is now Lava Cap Winery. During those early years, David was teaching Geology at UC Berkeley, and Jeanne was instrumental in creating the structure and foundations for a successful business. David passed away in 2007, but Jeanne and her family carried on the development of Lava Cap Winery. It was of great of joy even in her last days to know that Lava Cap was in good hands and continuing to thrive.

Jeanne’s steady Midwest sensibilities, strong work ethic, and unwavering devotion combined with a delightful sense of humor were an inspiration to all. She is survived by her four children-Becky, Tom, Charlie, and Sue, sixteen grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren.

At her request, a memorial service will be at Lava Cap Winery. It will take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 1-3 P.M.

Jay MacIntyre

april 7, 1943 – feb. 6, 2023

Jay Ramsey MacIntyre was born April 7, 1943 in Palo Alto, California, and passed away on February 6, 2023 in Roseville, CA. Jay grew up in Colfax, Auburn and Sacramento and graduated in the first graduating class at Encina High School in 1961. He proudly served in the United States Air Force and upon being Honorably Discharged, began working for Pacific Telephone and Telegraph in 1966. It is there he met and married the love of his life, Michele (Henke) MacIntyre on September 30, 1966 and before Michele’s passing, were married for 52 years. They moved to Placerville in 1974 with their two children, Sean and Tina. He retired from the Telephone Company in 2009. Jay and Michele sold their home in 2009 and moved to Roseville. Jay is survived by his children, Sean (wife Laura, children Eibhen, Iain & Broghan), of Flint, Michigan and Tina (husband DJ, children Isabelle, Elizabeth and Daniel) of Lake Forest, CA, nephew Jon Haney (wife Rachel and children Jack, Jones and Rylie) of Loomis, CA, and brother-in-law Robert Henke (wife Catherine) of Blaine, Washington.

Jay was preceded in death by his wife, Michele, parents John (Jack) and Rose MacIntyre, and his sister Mary Haney.

In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to the Mother Teresa Maternity Home, P.O. Box 991, Placerville, CA 95667

Andrew Jackson

Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison

oBitUarieS Dorothy (Dot)

Elizabeth Nelson

aug. 31, 1927 – feb. 2, 2023

Mom was born to hard working Swedish immigrants Abela & Karl Peterson in Palo Alto, CA on Aug. 31, 1927, and was welcomed by sister Barbara. Times were hard in the Great Depression, so her father found work stacking green lumber in the mills at China Flat (near Kyburz) and in the heat of Tuolumne, which lead to his early death when Mom was 9. A wonderful step-father, Arthur Benson, stepped in to love and support the family. She graduated Palo Alto HS, class of ‘45, as WWII was coming to an end. A few years earlier, her Japanese girlfriends had to leave without saying good bye. She had some great times with friends at Santa Cruz Beach and worked hard helping bring needed income for the family through domestic work and scooping ice cream, before going to work at Hofman’s Jewelry Store in Palo Alto. Soon, she fell in love with a handsome, tan Merchant Marine, Albert Nelson, who was also born of Swedish immigrants. Dad, being shy, was introduced to Mom by his sister, Alvera. Fun days were spent shore fishing, eating abalone, and enjoying the outdoors. They married in April 1948 at the First Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, with Dorothy joining the large, happy, and very loving Nelson family. Four years later Kristine was born. With the help of family members, they built a house in Los Altos Hills, with Mom on the roof nailing split redwood shingles until it was almost time to give birth to Paula. Mom laid brick with her little toddler Kris at her side. She was a tough and talented woman.

In 1960 they pulled up stakes and moved to the Sierra foothills near Placerville, where they could raise their girls with chickens, pigeons, a huge garden and room to roam any direction on the horses. Mom worked many years at Hangtown Hardware before moving to Placerville Hardware. She did this while maintaining a home, an excellent garden and fixing delicious dinners served on-time and hot, whether for 4 or 24 people. She was on a bowling team and could out-fish most everyone in the Sierra streams and lakes. Camping, fishing, and horseback riding were constants with Al and her girls. With their great group of friends and the Nelson family, there were always parties, dances, and card games. She was an avid knitter and a founding member of the Hangtown Tennis group of ladies. She enjoyed travels to Hawaii, Mexico, Europe with friends and a special trip to NZ with Paula, and to Sweden with family members, to meet her dear aunts & cousins.

In 1992 Al passed away after a 15-year hard road with dementia. Mom cared for him through most of it. She decided it was time to sell the Placerville house and move to Darby, MT where daughter, Kris, was raising cattle and riding horses with husband Jake Reddin. She packed up, even moving some of her favorite garden plants. There were new mountain vistas, fishing streams, horseback riding, and a new fun tennis group. Winters were spent in Mesa, AZ playing tennis with yet another wonderful group and joining in on other fun activities. Mom was a favorite doubles partner because of her mean serve. She lived alone and cared for her Darby home and garden until finally moving in with Paula in 2020, continuing to cook fabulous meals and bake her great Christmas cookies until she came down with RSV and pneumonia at the end of the year, and passed away peacefully at home on Feb. 2, 2023.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her dear husband Albert, parents Abela and Karl Peterson, step-father Arthur Benson, and sister Barbara (Syd) Bowling. She is survived by daughter Kris and sonin-law Jake Reddin, daughter Paula, all of Darby, as well as numerous nephews and a niece, and grandnieces & nephews, too in CA, MI, AZ, CO and Sweden.

Cremation was handled by Daly-Leach Chapel and no services are planned. Remembrances would be appreciated by St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Bitterroot Health Hospice, or a charity of your choice.

Mom was a talented, loving, fun, hardworking, caring, courageous person and the best mother ever. She was an inspiration to all who knew her well and we encourage you to face the world as she did; with resolve, care, & kindness.

William (Bill) H.

Montgomery

Dec. 6, 1933 – feb. 12, 2023

William (Bill) H. Montgomery passed away peacefully

February 12. William was born in Placerville, California on Dec. 6, 1933 to John and Vivian Montgomery. He had a wonderful childhood roaming the hills of northern California. He spent his time fishing the canal behind his home, raising rabbits with his sister to help support his family, while his dad was away at war and playing sports. Baseball was his first love. He was a catcher and played in high school and continued playing double A ball for several years after. Some of his best memories were catching several Major league pitchers.

He married his high school sweetheart Helene Rae Bugbee on May 2, 1953 and later sealed in the Oakland, California Temple on May 2, 1981. They were just a few months shy of celebrating 68 years together when Helene passed away.

Bill spent his career working for the telephone company. He took pride in his work and loved the friendships he gained with his co-workers; many became lifelong friends. He also volunteered for the fire-department for many years along side of his career where he became a Captain. He loved helping people and helped so many through out his life.

A favorite past time was hunting and fishing down on what he called the “club.” The club was a ranch in Shingle Springs he was a part of. They would deer and bird hunt often as a family there. It made for a lifetime of great memories.

When Bill retired, he and Helene didn’t sit still for very long. If they weren’t golfing, they were always planning a trip. They went on a several cruises, fishing trips with their boat and motor home and they especially loved traveling with their square dance club the Apple Jacks.

Bill loved our Savior and know he lives. He was member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. He served faithfully as a home teacher, high priest group leader, executive secretary and numerous other callings. He especially loved the calling of a temple worker with his sweetheart. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather who will be deeply missed.

William is survived by his son Jeff Montgomery, sister Jackie Fisher, his grandchildren John (Emily) Montgomery, Carolynn (Ryan) Hale, Kayla (Kurt) Berejkoff, and Collin Montgomery and fourteen great grandchildren.

He was welcomed home by the love his life Helene Rae Montgomery, his parents John and Vivian Montgomery, his son Timothy Montgomery, his brother-in-law Chuck Fisher and numerous other family and friends.

Services will be held February 21, 2023 at the Grantsville West Stake Center. A viewing will be held at 10:00 am with services to follow at 11:00 am. Interment at Grantsville Cemetery.

Our family would like to express our deep appreciation to Jade Landis, all the staff at Diamond Janes Assisted Living Center and Active Hospice for their tender loving care.

Elino Delacruz Jacaban

aug. 16 1947 – Jan. 24, 2023

Elino Delacruz Jacaban age 75 passed away peacefully surrounded by family on January 24, 2023 in Placerville, Calif., after a courageous battle with COPD.

Elino was born on August 16, 1947 in Russell City, Calif. to Paulino and Betty Jacaban. He graduated from James Logan High School in 1965. He went on to attend Chabot College majoring in Chemistry. He chose to pursue a career in the Restaurant industry where he worked for several upscale restaurants in the Bay Area. In the the early ‘80s, he relocated to Pollock Pines, Calif. and began working at the 50 Grand Restaurant as a cook where he enjoyed a 30 plus year career. He very much enjoyed the unique community of Pollock Pines and surrounding Placerville area.

Elino loved the Sierra Nevada’s and was an avid outdoorsmen. He enjoyed fishing – especially the art of Fly Fishing. He enjoyed studying the history of the Great West and collecting guns and rifles of the era. He took great pride in sharing this love with his Granddaughter Stephani.

Elino and his wife Wilma Jacaban were long time parishioners of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Placerville, Calif. They both enjoyed devoting time to the parish and actively volunteering to support their community.

Elino was preceded in death by his wife of 19 years, Wilma Jacaban (née Brewer) and is survived by his daughters Malynda Plaisance of Camino, Calif., Stacey and Ed Fernandes of Cameron Park, Calif., grandchildren Stephani and Ian Hilder, and great grandchildren Mads, Griffin and Sophie of Folsom, Calif.

Family and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church on Thursday February 23, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. located at 3109 Sacramento St., Placerville Calif. 95667

To express condolences visit: https://my.gather. app/fh/green-valley-mortuary-crematory/family/ elino-jacaban

Photos courtesy of Tony Garcia

Attempted murder suspect jailed

Odin Rasco

Staff writer

Two El Dorado County residents were arrested Saturday in connection to an attempted murder.

Toby Piearcy, 31, and Harley Swanson, 26, were taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies at the Super 8 Motel off Madison Avenue in Sacramento, according to county jail inmate records. Piearcy faces charges of attempted murder and a

crime log

The following was taken from El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office logs:

Feb. 7

12:18 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Platt Circle in El Dorado Hills.

3:39 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Loch Way in El Dorado Hills.

7:10 p.m. Vandalism was reported at an apartment complex on La Crescenta Drive in Cameron Park.

Feb. 8

1:41 p.m. Battery and grand theft were reported at the high school on Garden Valley Road in Garden Valley.

4:28 p.m. Deputies booked into jail a 27-year-old woman suspected of false impersonation on Coach Lane in Cameron Park. She was released on $50,000 bail.

5:01 p.m. Illegal entry was reported at a day care on Robin Lane in Cameron Park.

6:28 p.m. California Highway

Patrol officers booked into jail a 51-year-old woman suspected of felony vehicle theft and possession of a stolen vehicle on Highway 50 (location not specified). She was listed in custody.

11:32 p.m. Deputies booked into jail a 43-year-old man suspected of burglary on Pleasant Valley Road in Placerville. He was listed in custody in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Feb. 9

12:38 p.m. Burglary was reported on Uplands Drive in El Dorado Hills.

4:47 p.m. Battery was reported on Cold Springs Road in Placerville.

7:19 p.m. The California Highway Patrol booked into jail a 29-yearold man suspected of disorderly

probation violation, while Swanson is accused of serving as an accessory after the fact.

The investigation is ongoing with many details not yet made public, said Sgt. Alexander Sorey with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. Inmate records show Piearcy was allegedly involved in an assault/ burglary while in possession of a gun and metal knuckles.

Sorey told the Mountain Democrat there was one victim, a man who was temporarily

conduct on Marshall Road in Garden Valley. He was later released.

7:55 p.m. Battery was reported on Sierra Oaks Drive in El Dorado.

8:10 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Phillip Court in El Dorado Hills.

9:36 p.m. A person reportedly drunk in public was arrested on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

9:55 p.m. A vehicle burglary was reported on Crusader Road in Diamond Springs.

10:47 p.m. Deputies booked into jail a 62-year-old man suspected of disorderly conduct on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville. He was later released.

Feb. 10

10:57 a.m. Deputies booked into jail a 23-year-old man suspected of felony probation violation on Blair Road in Pollock Pines. He was listed in custody.

1:19 p.m. Burglary was reported on Tripp Road in El Dorado.

4:24 p.m. Deputies booked into jail a 33-year-old woman suspected of child abuse on Pony Express Trail in Pollock Pines. She was listed in custody in lieu of $50,000.

5:39 p.m. Battery was reported on Pleasant Valley Road in Placerville.

11:58 p.m. The California Highway Patrol booked into jail a 60-yearold man suspected of DUI on Forni Road in Placerville. He was later released.

Feb. 11

4:51 a.m. The California Highway Patrol booked into jail a 21-yearold man suspected of DUI on Pleasant Valley Road in Placerville. He was released on $15,500 bail.

8:04 a.m. Vandalism was reported at a

Carson

hospitalized for treatment of his injuries but he has since been released. Sheriff’s officials did not identify the victim, location or date of the assault/burglary.

Piearcy was also reportedly driving with a license that had been suspended due to a DUI and was in possession of narcotics. Piearcy remained in jail custody Wednesday with bail listed at $216,500; Swanson was released from jail with a bail that had been set at $10,000.

8:22 a.m. Burglary was reported at a business on Cameron Park Drive in Cameron Park.

9:30 a.m. Vandalism was reported on Forni Road in Placerville.

10:28 a.m. Vandalism was reported on Ironwood Drive in El Dorado Hills.

11:01 a.m. Vandalism was reported on Lafayette Drive in El Dorado Hills.

11:06 a.m. Deputies booked into jail a 62-year-old man suspected of being in possession of a loaded firearm while under the influence of a controlled substance on Bonetti Road in Pollock Pines. He was listed in custody in lieu of $75,000 bail.

1:04 p.m. Burglary was reported on Blanchard Road in Placerville.

1:50 p.m. Petty theft was reported at a store on Missouri Flat Road in Placerville.

4:15 p.m. Vehicle burglary was reported at a market on Mt. Aukum Road in Placerville.

4:40 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Cambridge Road in Cameron Park.

7:36 p.m.

Millard Fillmore 1850 — 1853

The Millard Fillmore Society was founded in 1963, holding a meeting once a year to celebrate Fillmore’s anonymity (the fact that most people don’t remember who he was).

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Bureaucrats ban betting

What will happen in the future?

Is there a way to know? There is, maybe.

One technique that predicts the future better than any other is prediction markets.

The stock market is one. It lets people bet on prospects of companies. The market often predicts wrong, but a rising stock price is a better forecaster of company success than 100 executives or 10,000 politicians. Falling stocks are good predictors, too.

Prediction markets succeed because of “The Wisdom of Crowds,” which is also the name of a book by James Surowiecki. Crowds? That seems odd. Crowds can be like ... mobs! Stupid and out of control. “But if a crowd is big enough and diverse enough,” says Surowiecki, you just have access to so much more knowledge than you do if you ask an expert or even a team of experts.

We saw this on the old TV program “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” A contestant could call an expert or poll the audience. “Experts” might be geniuses. TV audiences definitely weren’t experts, but they got the answers right more often than “experts.”

Defense Department officials once wanted to use the same principle to open a market that might predict where a terrorist attack might take place. But then some ignorant senators called the idea “grotesque.” The Defense Department dropped the idea.

Today politicians are killing another good idea: PredictIt.org. It’s a website that lets Americans bet on elections, like a political futures market.

As I write, PredictIt’s bettors say Joe Biden has a 27% chance of being our next president; Ron DeSantis has a 21% chance; Donald Trump has a 20% chance.

That’s useful information. But American bureaucrats working at a dreary agency called the Commodity Futures Trading Commission want it shut down.

Why? Did PredictIt steal user funds? No. Did they lie to people? No. Harm anyone? No!

In fact, its odds are cited by media around the world. My site, ElectionBettingOdds.com, averages odds from PredictIt and foreign betting sites.

Over time, PredictIt’s odds have usually been more accurate than pollsters and pundits.

In 2020, bettors correctly predicted Biden’s win and called nearly every state correctly.

The shutdown is “extremely unfair,” says Brandi Travis, PredictIt’s marketing boss. “Heartbreaking.”

It is!

Why can’t Americans bet on whatever we want? People bet on sports, cards, horses, etc. The stock market is a form of gambling. We’re consenting adults. Leave me alone!

Arrogant CFTC bureaucrats won’t even answer a single question about why they’re killing a useful website. But maybe it’s because of crony capitalism.

A larger, rival betting site, Kalshi, which

n See StoSSel, page A7

Letters to the Editor

It’s time you pivot

EDITOR:

Ifind it astounding that after over two years, my Democratic Party friends are fixated on Donald Trump. 2024 is just around the corner and all they can talk about is MAGA. Heck, even in Biden’s speech he brought up Trump and used Trump’s slogans.

News flash: DeSantis is cleaning Trump’s clock in polls today. The Republican Party bench is deep. We don’t need an 80-year-old man to lead our party; we have plenty of strong, successful Republican governors to choose from. The Democrats have Joe Biden. My advice to the Democrats is to pivot from how much they hate Trump and tell America why they believe Biden is what we need for another four years.

KEN STEERS Cameron Park

The no-class GOP

EDITOR:

During Biden’s State of the Union speech, Marjorie Taylor Greene provided the entertainment — not worldclass entertainment, but a no-class display of boorishness, bad manners and stupidity. Her screams of “Liar” throughout Biden’s remarks were cringe worthy. It got her the attention she desperately craves, in the same way a 5-yearold craves attention as he throws a hissy fit in a supermarket aisle.

Many of the GOP members in attendance were visibly uncomfortable with Greene’s boorish behavior, with one exception. Each time she shouted “Liar,” GOP Rep. George Santos said, “Right here!” He may be the only honest Republican in the House.

JOHN GARON Placerville

The deficit

EDITOR:

Since the Republicans now have the majority in the House, I have heard a great deal of talk about the deficit and reducing spending. Most people assume the Republicans are much better than the Democrats at controlling spending. Reality check — Republicans, in fact, are no better,

and some economists would even say worse, at controlling spending than the Democrats, especially when there is a Republican in the White House. Looking at the deficit increases starting with President Reagan, we have had four Republican presidents and three Democrat presidents, including President Biden. The president with the best record since Reagan is President Clinton. He ended his presidency with a slight surplus, the first surplus since the 1920s. The president who had the biggest dollar amount increase was President Obama with an estimated increase of $6.781 trillion. Just under President Obama is President Trump with an increase of $6.6 trillion. However, Obama’s increase was over eight years and Trump’s was only over only four years. Number three is George H. Bush with an increase of $3.3 trillion. The president with the highest percentage of increase was President Reagan, who doubled the deficit during his eight years with a whopping percentage increase of 142%. In total, the last four Republican administrations have added approximately $12.3 trillion to the deficit.

We can all agree that the deficit is a huge problem that must be addressed. Unfortunately, the House Republicans are too busy with revenge against Democrats, who were working hard to save our democracy, and too mired in right-wing crazy to propose any real solutions. They have proposed replacing the income tax with a 30% sales tax, which would put the tax burden squarely on the middle class. They also talk about undefined benefit cuts, which most likely would include Social Security and Medicare.

Democrats, on the other hand, have made strides to cut down on tax fraud to increase revenue and have included money in the budget to actually pay off some of the debt. Another proposal is to eliminate tax loopholes for the rich and large corporations, bringing in billions more in revenue and making the rich pay their fair share. The reality is that to solve this problem, Republicans and Democrats will have to work together and make some very hard decisions.

Determining the deficit amount for each administration is more complicated than at first glance. The biggest complication is that the first year of a president’s administration is under the budget of the previous president. Many consider

n See letterS, page A7

The Not So Weekly Daley Early spring musings and a brief look at November 2024

Here we are, seven weeks into 2023. A hair shy of four weeks left to winter 2022-23. Only 63 mass shootings so far this year. Only three “unknown aerial phenomena” shot down this week, but then it’s only Tuesday as I write this. Word is the UAPs were “benign” intruders of U.S and Canadian airspace, but they haven’t been recovered (and may never be), we’re told. That alone seems pretty remarkable if not unbelievable in this day and age of otherwise stunning technology and a near miraculous capability to find and retrieve stuff from pretty much anywhere.

No one seems to know where they came from, where they were going, what “benign” things they were up

to before running afoul of North American airto-air missiles. Ergo, it could be premature to assign them a benign purpose.

We’ve only seen the sun a baker’s dozen times since the start of winter. Our solar panels have grown fat and lazy from lack of exercise as have some of us. On the other hand, our gauges are looking quite robust for this stage of the rainy season. That’s something to smile about even if it is only the second Tuesday in February. Football season is over, that is NFL football. Not sure about a USFL entrance into the market thereby encroaching on baseball season. That seems almost un-American. Evidently, it’s actually the league’s second season already and I never even heard there was a first.

My brother the conservative would

have turned 80 on Super Bowl Sunday. Abraham Lincoln would have turned 214 that same day if my math hasn’t let me down.

I’ve wondered before in this space why the Michigan State shooter and other guys of that ilk kill a bunch of other people on the way to killing themselves. Why not just say you were going to kill others but decided to off yourself first instead? They’d be remembered a bit more fondly, wouldn’t they? Amiright or just wildly insensitive?

Nikki Haley announced she’s launching her campaign for president in 2024. Yay! Huzzah!

In her launch ad, she proudly though disingenuously proclaimed she “doesn’t put up with bullies.”

Ha, ha. Well, not counting Donald Trump. She’s already backtracked once on “not running if he runs,” but it’s early days yet — plenty of time to succumb to a bully or two long before November 2024.

The war in Ukraine is about to enter its second year with no end and no let up in sight. Despite Putin’s bullies looking consistently like they’re on the ropes, odds are the Russians still have an immense advantage that will tell in the days to come. And that’s too damn bad.

For Valentine’s Day, I wish the beleaguered underdogs a lot of love and luck. And that goes for the rest of us as well. Happy Valentine’s week.

Chris Daley is a biweekly columnist for the Mountain Democrat.

CHRIS DALEy

JOHN STOSSEL

Football season is over, that is NFL football. Not sure about a USFL entrance into the market thereby encroaching on baseball season. That seems almost un-American.

Stossel Continued from A6 takes bets on things like inflation rates and the price of gasoline, now wants to take election bets, too. Kalsi asked the CFTC for permission. Then company officials met with the CFTC dozens of times. They even hired a former CFTC commissioner, hoping that would help (I so hate Washington). In their application, they complained that PredictIt (their only potential rival in election betting) operates “without complying with a number of ... regulations.”

The result? So far, regulators are moving to ban both Kalshi and PredictIt.

Your government, busy at work, crushing innovative competition.

Crushing it for most of you, that is.

The CFTC does allow very rich people to bet at site called the American Civics Exchange. But to be eligible to bet, the government says you must have $10 million in assets.

Ordinary Americans are out of luck, unless PredictIt meets a stroke of luck in court, where it’s

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

fighting for its life.

Once again, American bureaucrats kill something good.

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom. He is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”

Letters Continued from A6

the fairest way to calculate the increases is to start with the budgets of that president, which would start in year two of their administration and would continue into the first year of the next administration which are the numbers that I have cited. I have obtained the information for this letter from a variety of sources including the Treasury Department, The A-Mark Foundation, U.S. & World Economies and Investopedia.

SCOTT TAYLOR Placerville

Rutherford B. Hayes 1877 — 1881

He signed legislation allowing women to argue before the Supreme Court.

Crime trends down but mail theft up in El Dorado Hills

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Crime was a hot topic at El Dorado County District

1 Supervisor John Hidahl’s Community Council February meeting when county sheriff’s Det. Aaron Lopez and Det.

Lyndell Scarr presented the latest statistics for El Dorado Hills.

Both Lopez and Scarr work in the property crimes division and Lopez shared that although he usually works in the Placerville area, recent activity has him shifting his focus to El Dorado Hills in particular. Scarr

displayed data showing area crime trends declining overall except for information reports, which include criminal as well as civil issues.

“Mail theft is skyrocketing right now,” Scarr reported. “Typically

Sports clubs call foul on EDHCSD field rate increases

Sel Richard Staff writer

Spirited EDH Soccer Club and EDH Little League supporters

packed last week’s El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors meeting to protest recently

proposed field rate increases, at times turning unruly. EDHSC, in particular, balked at a rate hike of 150%, from last year’s $81,917 to

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The issue was initially broached in August 2022 when a youth athletic working group comprising local youth sports clubs was formed to make recommendations regarding field fee changes. However, by November no consensus was obtained. In December, EDHSC and EDHLL leadership stated that any type of fee increase would be unacceptable to their clubs. CSD staff subsequently created a policy recommendation to present to the board.

In his staff report, Director of Parks and Recreation Mark Hornstra found annual field maintenance costs totaled to $926,150 per year. “Applying the minimum level of cost recovery (60%) to this number would require the total user fees to be $555,690,” the report reads. “The actual fees collected in 2022 will be $182,646 or just 19.7% cost recovery.”

One significant factor contributing to this shortfall is the monthly max fee structure that has allowed some teams to essentially use a field for free after a certain point. Previously, grass fields have cost $29/ hour or a monthly max of $885. “If you take the $885 and divide it by $29, you get a breakeven on a grass field of about 30 hours,” explained Hornstra. Synthetic fields cost slightly more with a breakeven point at 35 hours.

Last July EDHSC used 514 hours of synthetic field time. “So every hour from 36th to the 514th hour was essentially at no cost,” he said. “We are an outlier. Nobody has a monthly max. We really wanted to put that methodology aside and come up with

Rutherford B. Hayes

James A. Garfield Chester Arthur

Felon reportedly had illegal guns, drugs in Tahoe motel

Odin Rasco

Staff writer

A Feb. 3 search of a Motel 6 in South Lake Tahoe by sheriff’s deputies allegedly found a convicted felon in possession of multiple weapons and drug paraphernalia.

South Lake Tahoe residents

Joshua Pettus, 36, and Christina Mettler, 43, were arrested by deputies following a probation

search that uncovered four illegally-manufactured firearms and paraphernalia related to possible heroin use, according to information from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. A fouryear-old boy who was in the motel room with the pair was placed into protective custody due to what sheriff’s officials described as unsafe living conditions. The guns appear to be the kind that have been referred to

as ghost guns — firearms sold as build-at-home kits, made to be unserialized and untraceable.

Inmate records show that Pettus faces charges including possession of firearms as a felon, burglary, forgery and using false identification, child abuse and possession of drug paraphernalia. Pettus is being held in the county jail with bail set at $368,000. Mettler has since been released from custody, according to EDSO.

Year-old bear escapes shelter

Tahoe Daily Tribune

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a bear that escaped last week from a South Lake Tahoe animal shelter where it was rehabilitating.

The 13-month-old male black bear had been on the mend at the shelter since mid-December.

The bear weighs approximately 50 pounds, is microchipped and has a visible, metal tag in its right ear numbered 1028. LTWC staff said the bear got out of its outdoor enclosure at about 5:30 p.m. Feb. 9.

The young bear was rescued from Seiad Valley in Siskiyou County Dec. 13, too young to be on its own and severely underweight at just 20 pounds. The bear was transported to CDFW’s Wildlife Health Lab in Rancho Cordova for a veterinary examination and was found to be in otherwise good health. The bear was moved to LTWC for rehabilitation and eventual release back to the wild. The bear has added 30 pounds in two months of care, LTWC staff noted.

The young bear is not in imminent danger and is not a threat but is likely too young to survive long-term on its own, particularly given the deep snow and winter conditions present in South Lake Tahoe.

Residents and visitors to the South Shore Lake Tahoe area can help be on the lookout for the bear but are not asked to go out actively searching for it or to approach it if seen.

“The bear dislikes people and can be extremely skittish,” states a post to social media. “Please do try to maintain visual contact with the bear when reporting sightings, if possible.

Sightings and tips should be reported to CDFW

at (916) 358-2917 or LTWC at (530) 577-2273. CDFW personnel continue to search for the bear and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the escape.

Water tanks a task for EID

Michael Raffety Mountain Democrat correspondent

The El Dorado Irrigation District is challenged to keep up with maintenance and repair of 52 water tanks and covered reservoirs.

Thirty-one are welded steel water tanks, one has an aluminum dome, six are bolted steel, with two of those serving small communities such as Outingdale and Strawberry. Two bolted steel tanks are lined with fiberglass.

The district has five concrete tanks/ reservoirs. These are expected to last 50 years or more. At the Feb. 13 meeting of EID’s Board of Directors examples were shown of tall concrete tanks in Roseville wrapped with steel rebar in which each band had a tightener, after which a machine coated concrete over the

rebar. These tanks were good for 100 years.

EID has seven reservoirs covered with Hypalon lining and covering. The covers are cleaned twice a year. Repair costs average $200,000 annually, according to a presentation by engineer Patrick Wilson, EID’s drinking water operations manager.

Divers inspect the Hypalon-covered reservoirs every year.

Divers inspect steel water tanks every five years.

The welded steel tanks are 13 to 63 years old, with half of them built between 2000 and 2006.

The industry standard is recoating the tanks every 15 years, with EID not “consistently meeting this standard,” Wilson reported. Reservoir 3 was recoated and given an aluminum top in 2016.

Reservoirs 2/2A in Camino are water storage tanks that are part of EID’s potable water storage system. Due to corrosion from rust, Reservoir 2 had to have its roof removed and rafters replaced before it was recoated.

Reservoir 2 in Camino was so badly rusted it had to have its roof removed and rafters replaced and then recoated. It cost more than $4 million to rehab. Reservoir 2A needed some structural repair and recoating in 2020 for $3.4 million. The cost of a prestressed concrete tank is $5,100 but the life expectancy exceeds 75 years and requires cleaning every five years.

MCWRA appoints Lori Anzini

News release

Earlier this month the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association Board of Directors appointed and installed its 2023 officers.

Under the leadership of President Scott Ratterman, Calaveras County Water District director, the MCWRA officers will navigate the association in its mission to promote the statewide importance of Sierra Nevada water resources through advocacy and collaboration.

“I am grateful to my MCWRA colleagues for entrusting me in this role and look forward to continuing the good work of the association,” said Ratterman.

“We are well positioned to realize our vision of becoming the premiere advocate to influence water policy and protection of the Sierra Nevada watershed.”

The MCWRA officers and directors will utilize the 2023-25 Strategic Plan to guide their engagement and activity.

2023 MCWRA officers

• President: Scott Ratterman, Calaveras County Water District director

• Vice president: Barbara Balen, Tuolumne Utilities District director

• Secretary: Jim Holmes, Placer County supervisor

• Treasurer: Lori Anzini, El Dorado Irrigation District director

Photo courtesy of LTWC

This 13-month-old orphaned black bear escaped its Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care enclosure Feb. 9.

Photo courtesy of EID

LORI ANzINI

Grover Cleveland

Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland

Theodore Roosevelt

William Howard Taft

Bike patrol starts recruiting

John Poimiroo

Mountain Democrat contributor

The all-volunteer American River Bike Patrol, which began providing trail safety services along the 37-mile El Dorado Trail in October, has begun recruiting in El Dorado County.

“We wanted to get some trail experience before opening positions for local patrollers,” said ARBP team leader Ron Ciucci. “With our spring first aid class occurring in Sacramento on April 29, we wanted to get the word out early enough so that potential candidates have time to ride with us and see what we do.”

Founded in 2020, the ARBP is a cycling unit of the National Ski Patrol and provides emergency first aid, bike repair and a safety presence on trails it patrols. Last year it was named the finest bike patrol in the nation by the National Ski Patrol with the California State Assembly and county of Sacramento each issuing proclamations recognizing the honor. The ARBP has nearly 100 members who patrol trails within the American River Parkway and on the El Dorado Trail.

“Only a handful of our patrollers live in El Dorado County,” explained Ciucci. “so our present ability to patrol the El Dorado Trail is limited. In comparison, we patrol the American River Parkway nearly every day.”

The ARBP operates with the consent of the El Dorado Sheriff’s Office, Placerville

Police Department, El Dorado County Parks and Trails and the city of Placerville Parks Department. A typical patrol includes inspecting the trail for safety issues and helping trail users in distress.

“The partnership with ARBP has proven itself extremely valuable for our department and the community,” said Placerville

Chief of Police Joe Wren. “The police cannot be everywhere so to have the extra eyes out on our trails and in our parks enhances our goal of ensuring that we have a vibrant, safe and healthy community. I have no doubt that because of ARBP, trail users feel a greater sense of

Lake Link microtransit getting boost to serve South Lake Tahoe

News release

The South Lake Tahoe City Council has committed $862,500 to microtransit services.

In addition to renewing the current agreement with the South Shore Transportation Management Association by 16 months for a total of $200,000 for the operation of the existing Lake Link microtransit service, the City Council is putting $662,500 toward the expansion of this service. This additional funding commitment is intended to be used as seed money toward further fundraising toward the total $3.25 million estimated total cost.

Launched in July 2022, Lake Link is an on-demand shuttle accessed and scheduled through the Lake Link app, which can be found at ss-tma.org/ lake-link. Folks who do not have a smartphone can call (530) 494-0153 to book a ride.

The current service zone encompasses a 3-mile area that extends from Kingsbury/

Stateline in Nevada to the Al Tahoe/Lake Tahoe Community College neighborhoods in California. The additional funding would go toward expanding the service territory to the remainder of the city limits.

“Continuation of the current service and potential expansion to the full city limits represents a

tremendous milestone for transit operations and mobility options in the south shore, benefitting our workforce, those without a vehicle and those wanting to do their part in reducing vehicle miles traveled,” said Raymond Suarez, executive director of the South Shore Transportation Management Association. “We are

incredibly grateful to the city of South Lake Tahoe for being a regional leader in transportation for all.”

“The city strongly believes in ensuring transit opportunities for residents and visitors, and this funding commitment clearly demonstrates that transit is, and will remain, a top priority,” said City Manager Joe Irvin.

Forum covers path to forestry career

Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum

News release

The Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum will convene a panel of local high school students interested in careers in forestry and related fields Wednesday, Feb. 22. The meeting will be at the Mother Lode Lions Hall, 4701 Missouri Flat Road in Diamond Springs.

Students will talk about why they are interested in this career path and what concerns they have about making that decision. In addition to universitybound students, guests will hear from students who are not necessarily interested in a four-year college degree and are looking at community colleges, vocational schools or hands-on training.

Social hour begins at 6 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation will start

at 7:15 p.m. To reserve a space for dinner contact Diane Dealey Neill at dianedealeyneill@gmail. com or (530) 417-1960 by 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19. A spaghetti dinner with garlic bread, salad, non-alcoholic drinks and dessert will be served for a cost of $15 per person. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase at the no-host bar. Raffle tickets to support the Forest Forum may be purchased at the door.

The Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum is a group of forestry professionals, forest educators and others interested in forestry practices and issues in the two-county area. The forum meets once a month in fall, winter and spring months at various locations in the two-county area. The forum awards scholarships to local college students majoring in forestry and sponsors the Forestry Challenge. For more information visit forestforum.org.

Courtesy photo

The American River Bike Patrol is recruiting new members to patrol the El Dorado Trail.

Courtesy photo

Lake Link, a free on-demand microtransit shuttle system in South Lake Tahoe, launched July 2022.

n See Bike patrol, page A11

Bike patrol Continued from A10

safety and stewardship.”

“We’re all volunteers so we ride when and where we like,” noted Ciucci. “The services we provide are free to trail users and agencies. We carry emergency first aid kits, bike repair kits, spare tubes and tire inflation devices and will stop whenever we see someone who needs a helping hand.”

Sections of the EDT patrolled most often are from the El Dorado historic train station to Ray Lawyer Drive and from the Placerville Station bus terminal to Camino. “Since we began patrolling we’ve repaired several flat tires, reported storm damage maintenance issues, provided first aid to

Camp Continued from A1

in Placerville.

Steve Nelson, public information officer for Caltrans District 3 that includes the Placerville area, told the Mountain Democrat Caltrans officials have long wanted to clean up upper Broadway, which is state-owned property and close to Highway 50, but were waiting for El Dorado County to open a navigation center/homeless shelter so the unsheltered population could be provided the necessary resources.

Caltrans is working with the city of Placerville to confirm a Feb. 27 date to clear out the encampment, at which time California Highway Patrol officers will accompany Caltrans crews to conduct the clean up and serve remaining transients notices of trespassing.

Caltrans has a hazmat contractor lined up and will have maintenance staff ready to go when the green light is given, Nelson noted.

The Placerville Police Department acted first. On Feb. 7 officers posted notices at the encampment to clear the area by today, a move Chief of Police Joe Wren said is to the benefit of camp occupants.

“We are hopeful with the opening of the navigation center and partnering with Health and Human Services, the sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Team and the Placerville Crime Reduction Team that we will be able to relocate all those folks up there into the new navigation center,” Wren told the Mountain Democrat.

Those who won’t utilize the navigation center will not be able to remain at upper Broadway.

Campers will first get hit with a 72-hour notice to vacate the

Rate increases

a more reasonable field rate.”

injured trail users and have met many trail users,” said Ciucci.

“We operate like ski patrollers but on bikes,” he continued, “being watchful for issues of concern and handling them on scene or calling for assistance.”

Persons interested in joining the bike patrol should be interested in helping others, own a bike and be able to ride it 20 miles. The minimum volunteer commitment is 48 hours of patrolling in a year, plus completion of first aid and bike repair training conducted by the patrol.

To join the bike patrol visit AmericanRiverBikePatrol.org.

state’s property, and if it comes to it, those remaining could be arrested by CHP.

Due to the Sept. 2018 ruling in the Martin v. Boise case, cities cannot enforce anti-camping ordinances if they do not have enough homeless shelter beds available for their homeless population.

The county opened its navigation center Feb. 6, which has a 60-bed shelter.

“We know a lot of the folks (at the encampment) so hopefully through those relationships we will gain their cooperation,” Wren noted. “The state is going to clean it and make sure nobody is up there and fix the area because, outside of the trash and environmental hazards, they’ve masticated the entire area and dug into the site, which causes erosion issues, especially during the last rains.”

Between September 2021 and August 2022 Caltrans cleared out more than 1,250 encampments, many of them on state right-ofway property, according to the Governor’s Office. That equates to an average of 100 encampments per month and the removal of 1,213 tons of trash.

Caltrans is requesting an additional $20.6 million to continue to remove homeless camps and hazardous materials from state property along highways and freeways over a two-year period.

Occupants of the upper Broadway encampment seem divided on utilizing the navigation center and some are left wondering where they will go when camp gets broken up.

Frenchie, who has been living on upper Broadway for seven

Continued from A8

Hornstra reported that the impact of the monthly max policy since 2019 (excluding 2020) totaled $1.16 million.

Several items were recommended by Hornstra: to relax Category A residency criteria from 90% down to 80% El Dorado Hills residents and raise the non-residents fee on field hourly rates; to move recreation sports from Cost Recovery Tier D (60-99%) down to Cost Recovery Tier C (3059%) and leave competition clubs at Tier D; and to set an implementation deadline of Jan. 1, 2024. In addition, no monthly max is applied to any user group.

EDHCSD Director Mike Martinelli spoke to the differences in individual benefit between recreational and competitive sports. “I understand that a lot of times kids don’t know what it is they really want to pursue … so that element certainly brings tremendous value to the community,” he said. “However, when it comes to the comp side of things, that is certainly more beneficial to the individual who is pursuing that specific sport.”

At one point, board member Ben Paulsen addressed the crowd. “Does anyone here think EDHSC should have exclusive rights and push out lacrosse or USA Stars or rugby?” he asked, reaping derisive jeers. “The monthly max payout excludes everybody else from joining into these fields; it doesn’t work.”

For more than an hour kids, parents and club representatives stood to plead against fee increases, asked for more time to offer community input and warned that rising rates could kill their competitive soccer program. “You promised you would help support youth sports. This is not supporting youth sports,” accused parent Elizabeth

years, said the move by the state was expected but unfortunate.

“Some of us are looking to build and show that we are creating our own solutions, because herding us like cattle isn’t great,” Frenchie shared. “A lot of us already have self-esteem problems.”

On the streets for about six years, one homeless individual named Diamond Dave said he has been waiting to get into the navigation center.

A 44-year-old woman and upper Broadway camp occupant off and on of about seven years gave just her first name, Lisa, and said she would only go to the navigation center as a last resort. She called the move by the state unfair.

“We already had no place to go, so where do they expect us to go?” Lisa asked. “For some of us, our stuff is already trash because we cannot carry the amount of things we have to another location and it is basically doomed now that they are going to come in and clear it out.”

Lisa also took issue with some of the navigation center’s rules, including a mandatory curfew of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and compared it to a prison.

“They put the navigation center at an old juvenile (detention) site, which I thought was in bad taste,” Lisa added. “A lot of us have bad memories of jail. We are adults and they want to treat us like animals at the shelter.”

Jeff Morgan, 54, who counted five years at the encampment, also thought of the navigation center as a prison.

“It is at an old jail where they have all of these rules and no privacy, where they can treat us like children,” he said.

Gassaway.

“It is perhaps unsurprising that the big winner in those proposed changes is CSD, which would nearly double its revenues. And it does so on the backs of El Dorado Hills’ two largest nonprofit sports organizations, Little League and soccer, which collectively serve some 3,000 kids,” said TAZ Swim President Ben Glickman. “The notion that the Daddy and Me Valentine’s Dance or Girls’ Night Pajama Party provide significantly more community benefit than organized youth sports is absurd.”

He advised the board to come up with a plan to meet the community’s needs for new fields and facilities.

Glickman, along with EDHLL President Brent McGhee and EDHSC board member Sean Krider, insisted youth sports should be put in Cost Recovery Tier B (1-29%) with most costs subsidized by the CSD.

“Please don’t raise the cost of the fields,” begged a young Taylor Sheldon. “If you do, so many of the little kids, big kids, maybe even adults will be crushed because they won’t be able to afford to play soccer.”

And young Emilia Tucciarone said she and her three siblings all play soccer. “Kids should not be responsible for paying for your poor planning,” she declared.

“There are comments made about comp being an individual sport. To me, that is demonizing because you are saying that it is not beneficial to these kids to have their friends and their community and their team and their development and all those pieces,” countered EDHSC President Efrain Mercado. “Community values are extremely important here. Show us where your values are.” A sole brave proponent of the

CSD’s proposal in the crowd was USA Stars representative Jason Hitt. “I want to give the board the perspective of a different user group who doesn’t share in that most-favored-nation status,” he said. “Our small club pays on average $18-$25 an hour. We do not benefit from monthly max; we are punished by it.”

Hitt continued to assert that other user groups have been overlooked while EDHSC enjoys rates far below any others in the area, much less the state.

“I participated in the working group. I think the board should move forward with the changes that have been discussed for upward of six months,” Hitt said, prompting boos from the audience.

Board member Heidi Hannaman was visibly disheartened. “I didn’t hear a lot of solutions,” she noted. “We moved rec down to 30%, we moved swim to 30%, we gave you all a one-time fee relief and we’re still the bad guys. We have limited funds and we’re responsible to so many taxpayers and multiple groups.”

“We hear that there’s not enough fields,” EDHCSD board President Noelle Mattock said, listing other things residents have asked for, such as a community center or a new pool. “If we use every little piece of our general fund to subsidize everything that everybody wants, then we aren’t going to have the ability to continue to build and invest in our community and that infrastructure that everybody is telling us they want and need. We’re trying to balance the needs of an entire community, 50,000 community members.”

The board voted unanimously to postpone the item to the May meeting and continue to work with youth sports groups to revisit the cost recovery plan.

Woodrow Wilson Warren G, Harding Calvin Coolidge

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n SpeeD BUmp by Dave coverly

close to a decade, according to the city’s Director of Community Services Terry Zeller.

In that time the market has expanded, filling up Stage Coach Alley and hosting more merchants who sell items other than produce. Some nearby business owners have come to see the market as a burden on their own operations, reporting in a city survey a drop in sales and other inconveniences the days it is open.

Though the agenda item originally aimed for a decision to be made that night, Mayor Michael Saragosa and the council agreed to take more time gathering information and deliberating as to what the next step will be. City Manager Cleve Morris explained the decision will need to be made quickly, as El Dorado County Farm Trails, the organization that runs the market, needs to prepare marketing materials and file state paperwork if it does have to relocate.

Mike Owen, board president of EDC Farm Trails, explained that he thinks the haste to make a decision may be ill-advised. The contract which has been in place since 2014, includes terms that automatically renew the contract on a year-by-year basis provided market management submits a request 120 days prior to the first market. That deadline has already passed, so a relocation this year could be considered a breach of contract. Potential relocation sites include the El Dorado Trail between Clay and Locust streets or the Ivy lot.

Councilmember Nicole Gotberg suggested that the soon-to-be constructed Mosquito Road parking lot may be a viable candidate once it is completed. City Engineer Rebecca Neves said the parking lot project will begin on or around March 13 and would likely be finished by the end of June.

“This is a tough one,” Councilmember John Clerici said, summarizing the sentiments of the council as a whole. The council approved a motion to have staff review options and to possibly decide on the market’s relocation as soon as the next meeting Feb. 28.

In an effort to better understand the opinions held by merchants regarding the market a survey was distributed to 80 shops along Main Street, Zeller said. The survey consisted of three questions:

Do you personally like or appreciate having the farmers market at the Bell Tower on Wednesday afternoons from June to October?

our season for mail theft is between January and April when everyone is getting their tax returns. We just got out of package theft because of the holidays.” Open house burglaries were cited to be a concern as well.

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Serrano neighborhoods and the El Dorado Hills Business Park were highlighted as hotspots with criminals entering the area primarily from White Rock Road and Green Valley Road.

With regard to activity at the Francisco Safeway, notorious for its no-chase policy, Scarr pointed to local school-aged perpetrators.

“Calls from the Francisco Safeway are generated due to the juveniles that are in the area causing mischief, causing numerous calls out there with kids being disrespectful, taking things off the shelf, throwing things on the ground as well as harassing businesses in the area,” he said. “We’ve worked with Marina Village to have counseling sessions with these kids and notify their parents.”

Does having the farmers market at the Bell Tower hurt or help your business?

Does having the farmers market at the Bell Tower hurt or help the downtown overall?

The survey saw limited engagement, with only 23 responses coming back to city officials, according to Zeller.

A summary of the responses show 74% replied they personally liked the market and 22% indicated they disliked it; 43% claimed the market helped their business while 26% responded that market harmed business; 70% of respondents found the market helped downtown overall, and 17% felt it negatively impacted downtown.

Though the survey responses tended to be positive, it was noted by Clerici that the negative reviews were primarily from businesses in closest proximity to the market. A commonality to the negative survey responses pointed to limited access and parking for potential customers, as well as booths that sold nonproduce goods that were in direct competition with stores.

Owen voiced his concern that the decision was being made without the council or city taking the time to hear input from a wider community.

“This is happening too fast without much input,” Owen said. “It’s a disservice to roll down this path without considering the opinions of the people who work at or visit the market, and it is reckless to not consider the terms of the contract that is place.”

Also a local winemaker, Owen explained the shift in proportion of non-produce to produce-selling stalls, saying that last year’s harvest had been one of the worst on record since 1974. He emphasized that market management would be happy to look at setting limits on how many merchants sold non-food goods.

The challenges in navigating a solution that works best for all parties involved includes considerations to the difficulty in reestablishing a market after it has moved and the costs and challenges to the city that come from other options. Seana Hartsell, one of the people directly involved with the market’s operations, said it can take multiple years to build up a customer base again after a market has moved. It costs the city an estimated $7,175 per season to host the market at its current location, according to information Zeller shared with City Council.

average of less than 15 minutes. Comparatively, north and south county response times clocked in at more than 25 minutes, the discrepancy attributed to the distance from some of the more rural areas of the county to downtown Placerville. A daily average of four deputies is assigned to El Dorado Hills.

Scarr, who formerly worked as a school resource officer at Oak Ridge High School for 3 years and was also born and raised in the area, outlined some school programs such as the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, which works with a clinician to respond to mental illness calls.

The soon-to-be launched Pathfinder program gives the sheriff’s office keys and hard copy maps for every school site within the county, enabling faster response times in active-violence situations.

Solutions to puzzles in Classified section of newspaper.

horoScope by holiday mathis

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You do not have a sheltered view of the world. You have been in the mix of it, and you know the frailty of the human condition. You do not desire a pristine version of reality, but to find peace in the one you know.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Sensitivities are up. Handle it practically. For instance, snacks for the irritably hungry, efficiency for the rushed, reasonable expectations set for children and those who act like them, mindfulness of tone for all.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll start the work before you feel like starting. Once the creativity kicks in you can do no wrong. The messes are not mistakes; rather, they are building materials, remixes or problems to be solved.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re not getting what you want out of a situation. You now have the option of leaving, changing what you want or recalibrating. In any case, getting distance from the scene will be key to making the right decision for you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You feel stumped, but it’s a better place to be than thinking you know it all. You’ll find solace in the things that have no ultimate answers, like love, beauty and other things with value that linger in unresolve.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your domestic life is in a state of flux, and consequently so are you... until you get out of the house. You will notice immediately that you seem to be someone different — someone who will calm and solve all.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You may discover that you have been right all along, only to understand that you were also wrong for most of it, and the contradictory foolishness of attempting to stay on either side of the equation is straight-up pointless.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You are careful in love and relationships. You pace things well, knowing that if things happen too fast, you might miss the cues that let you know how everyone is feeling. You’ll manage expectations as you go.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). In the noisy world, the way to be heard is to be distinct so others can differentiate your voice from the others. Remind yourself and everyone else what makes you unique and look for new ways to highlight it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You are handed a piece of the puzzle, though you’re not sure where it goes. You will tune into the shape of it and try to fit it here and there to no avail. No need to force it. The space will soon open for the perfect fit.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Some renounce earthly indulgences to loosen the bodily attachment to the physical world and free the true self. It won’t work for you today. Denying pleasure will mute instead of liberate you. So, enjoy fully what can.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Love is wanting to be the best version of yourself for the other person. You’ll have the sensation of interests quite naturally aligning as you slowly become entirely invested in each other’s success.

In addition, Scarr mentioned organized retail theft has made its way to the county and, while still a minor concern, the sheriff’s department is actively working to snuff it out.

Lopez revealed that 80%-95% of burglaries that happen in El Dorado Hills link back to Sacramento. “We are always in north Sacramento, Del Paso Heights, Orangevale, Citrus Heights because this is where our cases are leading us,” he said, mentioning Target as a frequent victim of theft, especially with Apple products. “All the Target cases have led us to Sacramento, even the ones that we are working on right now.”

Drugs are also a constant concern.

“About a year ago we were able to locate hundreds and hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine that came from Mexico coming into El Dorado County,” Lopez recounted. “It was a great bust.”

Out of El Dorado County, 20% of the sheriff department’s call volume comes from El Dorado Hills with response times showing at an

As for ways individuals can discourage crime, Lopez said the simplest thing is turning on the lights. “When it’s dark, people have opportunities, especially if they can’t be seen,” he said. “It’s very difficult in a lot of places in our county because it’s so dark.”

Other things homeowners can do include trimming hedges to 2 feet tall, keeping tree limbs higher than 6 feet tall, installing video surveillance, ring cameras and even getting a dog. And both Lopez and Scarr insist residents should not hesitate to contact them.

“We chase everything,” asserted Scarr, who admitted to pursuing $25 stolen out of a vehicle. “We have spoken with criminals that we have arrested who said they didn’t realize they were in our county or else they would have never committed the crime.” Scarr also tracked a stolen $1,000 scooter from Red Hawk to Auburn for the arrest.

“See something say something,” urged Lopez, explaining that culprits can be caught in the act if alerted soon enough. “People don’t drive into our county just to hit one mailbox. They hit 15 or 20 of them. Having neighbors who are nosy is a great thing. We want you guys to call us.”

Alpine racers in tune

Mountain Democrat staff

High school skiers and snowboarders who have been training and competing all winter are down to the final races of the South 1 Division season.

On Feb. 13 at Sierra at Tahoe racers booted up to take on their third and final giant slalom course. The regular season wraps up Feb. 22.

Team season totals so far show El Dorado women’s varsity ski with 1,944 points to Oak Ridge’s 1,877. On the men’s side, El Dorado leads with 1,925 while Oak Ridge is just 22 points behind. In women’s varsity snowboard El Dorado holds the top spot at 1,938 points; Oak Ridge has 1,887. Totals for men’s varsity snowboard are flipped — Oak Ridge’s 1,928 edging El Dorado’s 1,893.

In all combined team totals, El Dorado is ahead.

Top-three finishers and team scores are listed below. Times are combined from two runs.

Ski anD BoarD race reSUltS

feb. 13

Women’s varsity ski:

Carlie Chandler, El Dorado (65.09)

Kathleen Holtrichter, El Dorado (65.83)

Andie Chandler, El Dorado (66.73)

Women’s varsity ski (team):

El Dorado — 390

Oak Ridge — with 373

Ponderosa — 334

Men’s varsity ski:

Charlie Beckerley, Oak Ridge (61.52)

Markus Hirsbrunner-Reist, El Dorado (62.91)

Dylan McLeod, El Dorado (63.59)

Men’s varsity ski (team):

El Dorado — 389

Oak Ridge — 381

Ponderosa — 344

Women’s varsity snowboard:

Haylee Ribolin, El Dorado (74.24)

Izzy Railey, Oak Ridge (76.14)

Kali Stewart, Oak Ridge (79.92)

Women’s varsity snowboard (team):

Oak Ridge — 381

El Dorado — 380 Ponderosa — 356

Men’s varsity snowboard: Myles Stowe, El Dorado (63.01)

Wyatt Ribolin, El Dorado (68.23)

Tate Hall, Oak Ridge (68.96)

Men’s varsity snowboard (team):

Ethan Bain, Oak Ridge (72.56)

Tate Hall, Oak Ridge (76.85)

Andrew Hansen, Oak Ridge (77.67)

Men’s varsity snowboard (team): El Dorado — 380

Oak Ridge — 378 Union Mine — 361

Announcements

AL-ANON is here for you if you are bothered by someone else’s drinking. Call for meeting times. (916) 334-2970. https://sacal-anon.blogspot. comt

AMERICAN ASSOC OF UNIVERSITy WOMEN Foothills of EDC Branch. Our mission is to advance gender equity for women & girls. Science and Math Camp Scholarships, programs & interest groups. Leave voicemail for Laurel (530) 417-7737 or Sara (530) 417-7138 eldorado-ca.aauw.net

El DORADO COUNTy AMATEUR

RADIO CLUB Dedicated to all aspects of ham radio. Meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month at the El Dorado Sheriff’s office, 200 Industrial Drive, Placerville, 6:30 pm. Visitors and non-hams welcome. Info at www.edcarc.net

LEARN & PLAy CRIBBAGE

Cribbage is a fun, fast paced game that will surely keep you on your toes! **All skill levels

**Learn to play by ACC Rules (American Cribbage Congress) **Beginner instruction available **Compete in weekly Cribbage tournaments. Call 916-768-4452 for more information. Gold Country

Cribbers play Wednesday afternoon 4:30 pm at the Moni Gilmore Sr Center, 990 Lassen Lane, El Dorado Hills, CA. 95762

Ready for real change?

CELEBRATE RECOVERy meets Wednesday nights at 6:30 pm at Bayside Church of Placerville, 4602 Missouri Flat Road, Placerville. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. We are a Christ centered recovery program to find healing and recovery from our hurts, habits, and hangups. Email elebratercovery@ baysideplacerville. com. Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/ CRBaysidePlacerville.

Struggling with life? CELEBRATE RECOVERy is for any Hurt, Habit or Hang-up. We are a faith-based recovery program for life’s issues

and struggles. Join us Thursday nights at 6:30pm at Green Valley Church, 3500 Green Valley Rd, Placerville. Doors open at 6:15pm. Children’s programs are available for ages 3 months to 18 years old. Email: celebrate@ greenvalley.church. Find us on Facebook: https://m.facebook. com/crgvcc/

DEMOCRATS – Come meet with the United Democrats of El Dorado County at Round Table Pizza–Missouri Flat Rd. in Placerville at noon on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Call (530)391-6414 or see edcdems. org for more information.

GOLD RUSH CHORUS now welcomes both men and women to share the joy of singing fourpart harmony in the barbershop style. To learn more or to book a performance, call Howard at (530) 647-6513 or Kent (530) 651-3575

Hangtown Women’s TENNIS Club. Join fun-loving women Wednesdays 9am-11am at El Dorado High School. Lessons, social events, only $50/year. Call Cindy 805-540-8654.

SENIOR PEER COUNSELING of El Dorado County is seeking volunteer counselors. Do you possess such qualities as warmth, empathy and nonjudgement, as well as having varied life experiences, and being over the age of 55? If you do and would like to help and listen to fellow seniors who are dealing with age related issues such as loneliness, isolation, health and grief, we would love to talk to you. Counselors receive training and are supervised by a professional in the field. SPC Clinical Supervisor Jayann Askin, MFT, shares “We are looking for volunteers who are interested in psychology, counseling, and mental health and would like to be a part of a supportive group of ongoing learners in this field.” For more information on this greatly rewarding volunteer opportunity, please call 530-621-6304

Oak Ridge’s Tate Hall, who took third place in the day’s snowboard races, takes a photo with Oak Ridge coaches Jen Ostrode and Sean Hansen.

Courtesy photos Markus Hirsbrunner-Reist speeds through the giant slalom course at Sierra-at-Tahoe on his way to second place in Monday’s South 1 Division races.

Herbert Hoover