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
wednesday, April 22, 2020
Volume 169 • Issue 47 | 75¢
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Historical rock grinds Broadway work to a halt
Tribe’s public records requests costing city nearly $20,000
matter came to officials’ attention April 16. “The city directed work to cease immediately in the vicinity and the area was taped off to further protect the resource.” Neves said the city contacted its project archaeologist
n Construction continues on rest of
bike lane project Pat Lakey Staff writer
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Construction of the Upper Broadway Bike Lanes project that has continued in Placerville despite the coronavirus situation was halted in one relatively small location last week after officials were told there’s a Native American “grinding rock” at the site where a retaining wall had been planned. Work stopped immediately at the site, which lies roughly north of the shopping center that’s anchored by Dollar Tree and Grocery Outlet, the artifact sitting atop a hill on the opposite side of Broadway near an unoccupied house. The Upper Broadway project seeks to widen the roadway and add bike lanes and walking paths. “The city was notified of a potential cultural resource, specifically a grinding rock, within a limited area of work, located on both private property and within city right-ofway as part of the Upper Broadway Bike Lanes project,” said City Engineer Rebecca Neves, who added that the
Pat Lakey Staff writer
See Historical rock, page A3
A request under the state Public Records Act filed by the Wopumnes Nisenan-Mewuk Tribe of El Dorado County has cost the city of Placerville nearly $20,000 and could run more than $30,000 before the extensive documentation is finally produced. That warning came last week from City Attorney John Driscoll to the City Council, following an update on the issue from City Clerk Regina O’Connell. The City Council had asked for an update on all open PRA requests, alarmed by the magnitude and cost to date of the Wopumnes’ request; at that time the price tag read some $5,000 for the request filed Feb. 12. The only open request currently is that from the tribe, reported O’Connell. (The city clerk this week received another PRA request — from the same Wopumnes tribe, regarding a separate matter.) See
Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
Construction work on Upper Broadway ceased Thursday when a Native American grinding rock was located in an area that was being graded for a retaining wall.
Renovations on ‘Target’
“Historical rock grinds Broadway work to a halt.”
O’Connell reminded the council last week that the initial request was found to be “overly voluminous and ambiguous” and the city took advantage of its legal right to a 14-day extension to respond. The city clerk recounted that during that period city staff sought to narrow the scope of the request, but that the tribe did not respond favorably. In fact, states the update delivered to the council, “The tribe refused to assist.” Tribe representatives have said from the outset that city staff should have been able to handle the PRA request, that the expense of hiring an outside law firm that accounts for the bulk of the cost to the city should not have been necessary. The Wopumnes submitted a list of words and phrases they wished to have the city produce, words and terms associated with specific documents and other city-related correspondence such as memorandums of understanding and staff reports. The nature of the request
Democrat photo by Kevin Christensen
Construction crews — deemed as essential workers amid COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders — make progress last week on the remodel of the former Kmart building in Placerville that will be home to a new Target store. Chris Shane, owner of Gryphon Capital, which owns the Prospector’s Plaza shopping center where the Target will be located, said renovations are on schedule to be completed in July but Target has decided to push its opening date back to August.
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See Records requests, page A2
EDC coronavirus cases up by 2 over weekend Dylan Svoboda Staff writer
El Dorado Hills has the highest count with 14 cases of the coronavirus. There have now been 13 cases in the South Lake Tahoe region and five in the greater Placerville area, according to data provided by the county. Three cases have been found in the Cameron Park/Shingle Springs/Rescue area and two cases have been found in the north county. On Friday, the county reported its first case of COVID-19 in the Pollock Pines/Camino/Kyburz area. No cases in Diamond Springs, El Dorado or the south county areas have been reported as of Monday evening. There have been about 1,590 tests conducted on
El Dorado County’s coronavirus case count inched up over the weekend. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in El Dorado County is now at 38, with seven cases still active. County health officials reported two additional cases of the coronavirus Monday evening in the South Lake Tahoe area. The county reported Thursday that 31 COVID-19 patients have fully recovered from the virus.
county residents, according to the data. Men and women each make up 19 of the 38 cases in the county. The median age of people who have contracted the virus is 47. More than half the cases — 53% — involve patients between the ages of 18 and 49. About 37% are aged 50-64. There are four cases involving those 65 years or older, the age group said to be at highest risk. No deaths have been reported at this time. There are 30,333 confirmed coronavirus cases across California with 1,166 deaths, according to data updated Monday by the state Department of Public Health.
U.S. census may be extended due to COVID-19 Dawn Hodson Staff writer Normally the finished census would have to be on the president’s desk by Dec. 31, but due to the coronavirus, on April 13 officials asked for an extension that would require a change in federal law. Congress may allow the U.S. Census Bureau an additional 120 calendar days to deliver final counts that will be used to apportion members of Congress among the states and draw
congressional districts. That would mean delivering apportionment counts to the president by April 30, 2021, and information to the states no later than July 31, 2021. President Donald Trump said 120 days “isn’t nearly enough.” As of April 18 the national selfresponse rate was 50.5%. In California it was 51.7%, El Dorado County 46.2%, Placerville, 53.6 % and South Lake Tahoe 22%, according to the Census Bureau. In 2010 the final mail return rate
1 DENTIST!
U.S. Census Bureau workers may not be out beating the bushes right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic but in the meantime, those who received a mail invitation to participate are doing so via mail or over the internet. The deadline for self-response is Aug. 14. For those who don’t receive mail at their homes, such as those with PO boxes, a census taker normally would
We Understand Commitment
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Three Years Straight!
nationally was approximately 79%. In California it was 68.2%, El Dorado County 58.8%, Placerville 68.4% and in South Lake Tahoe 40.2%. Census results are important in determining how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed for health clinics, school lunch programs, disaster recovery initiatives, roads and other critical programs and services for the next 10 years. Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790.
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