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Find local restaurants offering take-out and curbside service. See pages A6–A8
C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
Volume 169 • Issue 36 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Friday, March 27, 2020
City Council holds meeting … with no public in sight Pat Lakey Staff writer In what portends a glimpse of the future — Tuesday evening Town Hall was barren of chairs where the public normally sits during Placerville City Council meetings and one of the council member’s disembodied voices was “piped in” as Patty Borelli participated in the proceedings, speaking from her home because she is older than 65. Absent, too, was City “How long Attorney John Driscoll but he does the virus was available stay (viable) in by phone to effluent? We have address any legal concerns concerns …” that might — Placerville City Manager crop up as Cleve Morris talking about the council city sewer plant workers essentially addressed what the coronavirus pandemic has done to the town. Driscoll is also an age that puts him at more risk than other, younger people, health officials have warned. Many employers in both the public and private sectors have told their older employees to either work from home or take some time off as COVID-19 exacts its toll. Three El Dorado County residents have contracted the virus and one of them actually was in this county when stricken, according to health officials. The other two were not; both reportedly suffered mild cases and have since fully recovered. The third and most recently reported case, contracted locally, resulted from an as yet unknown source, health officials said. No word on the degree of severity of that case has been reported. Placerville City Manager Cleve Morris last week declared a citywide state of emergency and just a few short hours later that Thursday, El Dorado County officials announced they were mandating the formerly cautionary order for residents to stay at home for all but “essential” purposes. Enforcement of that order has been nebulous, however, and that matter was addressed during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. No arrests nor citations have been issued for being outside and county Sheriff John D’Agostini has said that likely won’t occur, that he feels residents are reacting responsibly already to the health n
See City Council, page A5
Read online at mtdemocrat.com. what Placerville Mayor Michael Saragosa had to say in a speech delivered during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Democrat photo by Kevin Christensen
Placerville resident and El Dorado Transit bus driver Cheryl Netherda wipes down a handrail on an El Dorado Transit bus at transit headquarters in Placerville Wednesday. The transit team is working to sanitize their vehicles regularly in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep buses as safe as possible for riders.
COVID-19 drives down ridership as El Dorado Transit adapts Kevin Christensen Staff writer
disinfection of buses and wiping and sanitizing high-contact With a decrease in areas every time drivers ridership as a result of change shifts. – Brian James, El Dorado Transit planning and marketing manager the COVID-19 saga, The public El Dorado Transit is transportation implementing a modified commuter schedule and new organization also encouraginges passengers to adhere to safety measures. social distancing recommendations. Signage has been The transit team is making an effort to mitigate the placed on all buses specifying that riders keep a distance possible spread of COVID-19 and urging passengers/ of 6 feet from drivers and fellow riders as much as employees to proactively protect themselves and others, possible. according to Brian James, planning and marketing “We have seen a decline in riders since the coronavirus manager at El Dorado Transit. n See Transit, page A3 Scheduled vehicle cleanings now include nightly
“It is an important mode of transportation for many so we are doing everything we can to make it safe.”
A lesson on flushables
Wipes, paper towels causing sewer backups Dawn Hodson Staff writer The California State Water Resource Control Board is urging the public to not flush disinfecting wipes or paper towels down the toilet. “Flushing wipes, paper towels and similar products down the toilets will clog sewers and cause backups and overflows at wastewater treatments facilities, creating an additional public health risk in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,” according to a press release from the board. South Lake Tahoe Public Utilities
Department has experienced issues with a clogged valve at Upper Truckee Sewer. “We are seeing an increase in the number of disposable wipes in our wastewater system,” said Chris Stanley, manager of field operations. “These wipes clog up our system and are the main cause of sewer spills. During this pandemic, we need our crews’ focused on providing safe, clean drinking water and reliable wastewater services, instead of responding to an easily preventable sewer spill.” El Dorado Irrigation District is also reminding customers not to
flush anything down the toilet except bodily waste and toilet paper. “If it’s not toilet paper, don’t flush it,” said EID Director of Operations Dan Corcoran. “Paper towels, tissues, cloths, rags, wash cloths, diapers and especially wipes advertised as ‘flushable’ are anything but and do significant harm to the sanitary sewer system. While they may flush, they do not break down and will inevitably clog the sewer system. Please designate a separate sanitary container for any of these products and place them where they belong — n
See Sewer backups, page A9
South Lake Tahoe to crack down on vacation rentals n Police to enforce order with the
help of tips from the public Laney Griffo Tahoe Daily Tribune
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — South Lake Tahoe City Council wants to crack down harder on vacation homeowners and renters during the coronavirus crisis but stopped short of passing a ban on vacation home/short-term rentals Wednesday during an emergency meeting. Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order stopping non-essential travel, people were still vacationing in Lake Tahoe this past weekend. With residents around Lake Tahoe concerned about the drain on resources and the possibility of
spreading the virus the city of South Lake Tahoe sent vacation homeowners letters asking them to adhere to the governor’s order but not all respected the request. The city received clarification on El Dorado County’s stay-at-home mandate that states shortterm rentals should only be used for housing homeless, essential workers, COVID-19 mitigation or long-term housing. Instead of passing its own ban, the city passed an order allowing it to more strictly enforce the county’s directive. It can give fines up to $1,000 (the largest fine allowed by city code) and can use these fines as strikes against homeowners to be considered when their permits expire. Interim Police Chief Shannon Laney said officers are regularly patrolling the rental properties and are relying on tips from the public to crack down.
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* Child Welfare Specialist Certified by National Association of Council for Children Accredited by California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization **Certified Family Law Specialist Certified by California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization
The city will also track rental websites and make sure homeowners are not accepting reservations until after April, when the lockdown may be lifted. While the city can’t crack down on people who are sheltering in their second homes, Councilmember Devin Middlebrook would like to highly discourage people from doing so as it is a drain on city resources. The council also discussed a moratorium on commercial evictions. City Attorney Heather Stroud said Gov. Newsom is expected to put a statewide moratorium in place this week. The council decided to hold off on placing its own until the governor makes a decision. Council has agreed to meet weekly, so if by next week, the Governor has not taken action, they will re-address the issue. In the meantime, n
See Vacation rentals, page A5
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