News, etc.
Business
Snowline Hospice to close its Placerville Drive thrift store.
Enjoy a great lunch for a great cause — CASA!
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BE COUNTED , BECAUSE W E ALL MATTE
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mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Volume 169 • Issue 29
97% of March 3 primary ballots counted in EDC
| 75¢ Courtesy photo
Local officials recently toured the 14 Forward compound in Marysville, an organized village of sheds placed on land in Yuba County where the homeless are housed as they seek positive change.
Dylan Svoboda Staff writer With more than 97 percent of ballots counted, El Dorado County elections results are all but final. In November, voters will decide two supervisor races while a third is nearly over already. The results below are current as of press time Tuesday.
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors District 1
‘Tiny houses’
Incumbent John Hidahl and former supervisor Ron Briggs will go headto-head in a runoff in the November general election. Hidahl has taken home 43.2% of the vote, falling short of the 50%-plus-one threshold needed to win the election outright. Briggs has come away with 24.71%, beating out El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors President Ben Paulsen, who is sitting at 21.65%. District 1 encompasses most of El Dorado Hills.
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors District 2
Pat Lakey Staff writer
Business owner George Turnboo and former Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott are heading to a runoff election in November. Turnboo led the way with 26.1% of the vote to Pimlott’s 22.62%, a difference of more than 500 votes. Cameron Park Community Services District board member Felicity Carlson and former supervisor Ray Nutting were hot on the tail of Pimlott at 21.19% and 20.44% of the vote, respectively. The District 2 race was the most competitive of this election season with seven candidates. No other candidate has received more than 6% of the vote. The candidates were running to replace current supervisor Shiva Frentzen, who is termed out. District 2 encompasses south county, much of Cameron Park and portions of Shingle Springs and El Dorado Hills.
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors District 3
Former Placerville mayor Wendy Thomas had a big night March 3. Thomas is set to win the district seat outright, avoiding a run-off election in November. She leads opponent Brian DeBerry 60.32% to 39.68%. District 3 encompasses Placerville, n
to dot old Armory site?
for the homeless
See ballots, page A3
do everything they can to not connect with that person,” said Maureen The old Armory near Dion-Perry, facilitator of the El Dorado County the afternoon forum that Fairgrounds — just up drew a packed crowd. the hill from Raley’s — “Don’t be afraid and look soon could be dotted with the other way. Just say Tuff Sheds, what one local hello, how ya doin’, maybe official termed a “tinyoffer to buy them lunch house village,” buildings — you’ll be surprised as that would provide they are,” said Dion-Perry. temporary shelter for the Dion-Perry then homeless. introduced and gave an Democrat photo by Thomas Frey That idea, among award to a Placerville The city of Placerville has been eyeing the Armory site near the others, took shape resident who has El Dorado County Fairgrounds for its potential to accommodate Sunday at Town Hall volunteered countless affordable housing. in Placerville, with hours in the nomadic community leaders and shelter program where a handful “We have been working with members of the public sharing of local churches open their doors ideas on how to help a transient the county to look at (the old to the homeless five times a week population that all agree is ever during the toughest months, shelter Armory site) as an affordable increasing. Ignoring the homeless where storms may be weathered housing site but may consider and a bed found to spend the night. people who exist around the edges of the community, pitching their Peg Vanderkar “believes people it for some sort of transitional tents on hillsides and wondering deserve to be served, taken care where they might find a place to lay housing. Nothing has been of,” said Dion-Perry, as Vanderkar their head at night, will not solve slipped past husband Don decided yet.” the problem, speakers at the forum Vanderkar, seated in the crowd, to — Cleve Morris, Placerville city manager step up for the award. The couple is titled Unhoused and Affordable Housing Needs in El Dorado well known for their efforts helping Progressives group, ignoring the County said. the homeless. homeless makes the situation worse. In fact, according to those taking “I’m shocked,” said Peg as she “Homeless people feel invisible the microphone during the open when others cross the street (and) n See Tiny Houses, page A6 meeting of the El Dorado County
EDC residents aboard coronavirus cruiseliner test negative Dawn Hodson Staff writer Thirteen El Dorado County residents were aboard the Mexico-bound Grand Princess ship where 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported, according to El Dorado County officials. All were screened/assessed and either finished their 14-day selfquarantine without symptoms or were tested for COVID-19 and those tests were negative. Officials expect to hear within the next 48 hours if any of the passengers on a different ship that docked in Oakland on Monday are from
El Dorado County. Indications are that at least one Shingle Springs couple may have been on that ship. As of March 9 the El Dorado County Public Health Department continues to reassure residents that there are no confirmed cases of the disease in El Dorado County. The California Department of Public Health reported that as of March 8 there were a total of 114 positive cases statewide and one death in California; 24 cases are from repatriation flights. The other 90 confirmed cases include 37 that are travel related, 23 due to person-to-person contact, 14
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community-acquired and 16 from unknown sources. The person who did pass away from the virus was a 71-year-old resident of Rocklin with underlying health problems. Health officials believe the patient was exposed to the virus while on the Grand Princess cruise ship that left San Francisco Feb. 11 for a round-trip to Mexico, returning Feb. 21. The man tested positive on March3 and was subsequently isolated at Kaiser Roseville in “critically ill” condition. He died early the following morning, March 4. Out of concern of catching
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the disease, a few schools in neighboring counties have shut down for a few days or longer or have gone through special disinfection regimens. Officials at two Sacramento City Unified School District schools announced Friday that someone connected with the schools was potentially exposed to the virus and is in self-quarantine, but both schools remain open after being deep-cleaned this past weekend. In Placer County, some of the county’s school districts also increased their cleaning protocol, including cleaning desks, keyboards, doorknobs and even school buses.
The Elk Grove Unified School District announced March 6 that it was closing its schools and called off any student-related activities from March 7 through March 13, even though no student or any of its staff have yet tested positive for COVID-19. The district, which serves approximately 64,000 students, won’t lose any school days because it is moving spring break up to this week instead of when it was originally scheduled in April. On Saturday Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement n
See Coronavirus, page A5
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