Mountain Democrat, Wednesday, August 23, 2023

‘WE WANT ACCOUNTABILITY’ EDUHSD civil rights lawsuit plaintiffs speak

Odin Rasco

Staff writer

Months after filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the El Dorado Union High School District, a local family says they are still struggling against community backlash. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of California Jan.

25, alleges the leadership at the district and El Dorado High School — including vice principal Justin Gatling, principal Elizabeth Sisson, superintendent Ronald Carruth and vice superintendent Tony DeVille — displayed “deliberate indifference” and failed to protect a minor identified as S.L. from a series of attacks

Body found near Rattlesnake Bar

Editor

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a body was found Saturday afternoon in the waters of Folsom Lake.

A person who was recreating in the Rattlesnake Bar area where the North Fork of the American River flows into the lake located the body of a woman and notified authorities, according to EDSO’s Sgt. Kyle Parker.

A sheriff’s team responded to the scene, assisting in recovering the Jane Doe. Parker said EDSO is leading the investigation into the woman’s death.

An El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office detective takes Joshua Slaughter into custody in Roseville Aug. 15.

Suspected rapist arrested in Roseville

Odin Rasco

Staff writer

A Roseville man suspected of sexual assault and domestic violence that took place in Cool was arrested Aug. 15, according to an El Dorado County Sheriff’s

PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE

Office social media post.

On Aug. 14, a woman reported to EDSO she had been severely beaten, held against her will and sexually assaulted in Cool. Detectives began to investigate and secured a search warrant for multiple locations, ultimately taking Joshua Slaughter, 29, into custody at a residence in Roseville. Slaughter faces multiple counts of rape by force as well as domestic violence, making criminal threats and false imprisonment, according to inmate records.

EDSO officials state Slaughter may be connected to other sexual assault cases and ask anyone with information to contact Det. Parker Driscoll at (530) 6424709 or email driscollp@ edso.org.

and harassment motivated by race and sexual orientation.

Ashley Lewis filed the suit on behalf of her biracial daughter, who claims she has suffered from vision loss, headaches, light sensitivity and a loss of concentration as a result of the attacks. Lewis has expressed she feels let down by the school’s handling of her daughter’s situation.

“I have more than 60 emails from 2021 to 2023 of me subject-lining ‘racial attacks’ and asking for help, and I’d get a very vague response,” Lewis explained. “They’d say ‘oh, we’re going to look into it’ or ‘we’re going to do this,’ and then next week she’s coming home crying because somebody else is texting things to her or posting things

about her on social media, or she walks by a crowd and hears the n-word and has to walk around with her head down.”

S.L., a 17-year-old, said she has experienced bullying since elementary school, but things got much worse once high school began. She

n See Lawsuit, page A7

legacy of service

public

safety facility preserves D’Agostini’s vision

Eric Jaramishian Staff writer

“The next sheriff that has to even think about what we went through isn’t born yet.”

Former El Dorado County sheriff John D’Agostini uttered this conviction to close his speech Saturday morning to a crowd of community members in front of what has now been named the Sheriff John D’Agostini Public Safety Facility.

Donning a buckle showcasing the years he served and a cowboy hat, D’Agostini spoke before the unveiling of a sign for the building, which could be seen glistening in the midmorning sun as it was revealed. The signage was placed high on the sheriff’s headquarters to left of the main

entrance at 200 Industrial Drive.

“I’m still very overwhelmed and extremely humbled by this, because I don’t believe that any single person deserves what we’re here for today,” D’Agostini said. “I want to thank everybody … all of you deserve this as much as I do right

now.”

D’Agostini’s 12 years of service as El Dorado County’s sheriff has also been immortalized on a plaque near the main entrance.

“Sheriff’s D’Agostini’s leadership and commitment to the county, our communities and his staff resulted in many

accomplishments. Of the greatest, the public safety facility,” reads the plaque’s gold lettering. If he had it his way, every person who works at the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office and every community member’s name would be engraved somewhere on the foundation of the public safety facility.

“In order for something of this magnitude to happen, is to start the conversations for everything to move forward,” D’Agostini recalled telling his undersheriff during the process. “It wasn’t me, the (Board of Supervisors) or staff. It was the community that had to make it happen. Without the community support,

n See Legacy, page A3

Krysten Kellum

Courtesy photo

Former sheriff John D’Agostini gives a speech at the sign unveiling event. The county Board of Supervisors approved renaming the facility in honor of his service in January 2023.

Richard Adam Orsi

Richard Adam Orsi, fondly known to many as “ORSI,” peacefully departed from this world in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by the warmth of his family, and with his devoted wife of nearly 50 years, by his side. He embraced his final journey on July 21st, 2023.

ORSI’s life was a testament to love, dedication, and the power of lasting connections. His unwavering commitment to his wife over half a century demonstrated the beauty of a love that transcends time. His departure leaves behind a legacy of unity and togetherness that will continue to inspire those who knew him.

Throughout his life, ORSI’s presence radiated with kindness, compassion, and a genuine interest in the lives of others. His friendly nature and genuine smile created an aura of comfort and belonging that drew people towards him. Whether it was through simple conversations or acts of kindness, he touched the hearts of countless individuals.

While ORSI’s physical presence is no longer with us, his memory lives on in the lives he touched and the memories he created. He leaves behind a void that can never be filled, but also a legacy that will continue to bring comfort and strength to those who loved him.

In his departure, we celebrate the life of Richard Adam Orsi, a cherished husband, a loving father, and a dear friend, a true source of inspiration.

Orsi is survived by his wife, Toni Ann Orsi, his son Richard “Rick” Howsmon, his sister Carol Orsi Lessar, and his cherished nieces, Lori and Diana.

William “Ken” Lowry

aug. 21, 1929 – June 4, 2023

William “Ken” Lowry passed on Sunday, June 4, 2023, in his own home, as he wished. Mr. Lowry was 93 years old, born August 21, 1929 in Wetumka, Oklahoma. Raised on a 40 acre farm, where his dad plowed the fields with a single blade pulled by a mule, Ken learned to be self-sufficient and resourceful at an early age. He had farm chores; weeding the vegetable garden, milking the cow and during harvest working dawn to dusk bringing in the crops. He loved to wander through the forest with his dog Joe Dinker, hunting skunks and raccoons; (the general store paid 25 cents a pelt), gathering wild pecans (50 cents for a full gunny sack), catching fish or frogs for dinner. Saturdays, he would go into town, where 25 cents of his hard earned money covered a movie, burger, fries and a Coke! On hot summer days he might head for the swimming hole, or crack open a juicy melon pilfered from granny’s watermelon patch in the river bottom.

But young Ken had big plans. He would be a pilot. By the age of 12, he was walking five miles to wash planes at a small airfield, in exchange for the thrill of a ride.

The innocence of childhood ended at the age of 15, when Ken’s mother died of cancer. That summer he went to Illinois to work on the railroad. At 17 he left school, joined the Navy and served 4 years flying over the Pacific, as a navigator on propeller driven air transport planes. He loved every minute of it. His tour of duty ended in San Diego, and he never looked back. California was his new home. He put himself through college, working nights in a psych hospital, then as a car repo man, and later a machinist for Hughes aircraft. He applied to be a Security guard, but at 6’, couldn’t make the 150 pound weight minimum, no matter how many pancakes he ate.

He met and married a beautiful aspiring actress, Carolyn Parks, and set aside his dream of a career in aviation, as it would take him far away. He switched to education, thinking “summers off.” That, of course, never happened. Ken started teaching science to middle schoolers in Kenwood, Sonoma County. Within a few years he was promoted to Principal, then Superintendent. He borrowed against his retirement to buy a sawmill in Humboldt with his friend, Warren Welsh. For a short time, Ken was both lumber man and educator and enjoyed flying his small plane between Santa Rosa and Eureka. Then the sawmill washed down the canyon in a big storm. Ken went back to investing his energy in education, earning a Masters in Administration. The family moved to El Dorado County, where Ken was Superintendent of Mother Lode School District. Ken and Carolyn had 3 beautiful children: Rena Davonne, Krislyn Kay and Kenneth John, while also parenting Ken’s niece, Bonnie. In 1969 Ken moved to the Bay Area, working in San Anselmo, Redwood City, and Concord school districts. He returned to El Dorado County in 1977 as School Superintendent in South Lake Tahoe.

CorreCtioN

An error was made in the letter to the editor titled “Here we go again” published Aug. 16. The last sentence in the third paragraph should have read, “They did intend to start a new government that would not establish a specific religion nor “prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...”

Five years on, he was recruited by Bob Edwards to run for El Dorado County Superintendent of Schools. With the help of all 12 District Superintendents, he dove into a grueling campaign, won a narrow victory, then earned easy re-election for 2 more terms. Hard working, dedicated to education and fearlessly innovative... his answer to the question, “Can we do this?” was always a definitive YES! His expectation of himself, and his staff, was that every need, every request would be met with a “Spirit of Accommodation.” Ken’s “3 R’s” for the County office of Education were Respect, Resourcefulness and Responsiveness. Vicky Barber, who succeeded Ken as County Superintendent, has written a beautiful resolution, citing some of the accomplishments of Ken’s vision to build an education center which would serve preschool through community college students in El Dorado County. The EDCOE complex in Placerville, is not just a lot of buildings. Each one houses a program to better serve kids.

Here are some highlights:

1983 - Ken’s first year in office. A retired teacher, who worked in the Mother Lode School District when Ken was Superintendent, assisted the office acquiring 28 acres of ranch land at 6767 Green Valley Rd. Bob Edwards, Ken’s friend of two decades, artfully managed this transaction and many more to follow, as the County Office of Education continued to build new facilities and programs. The main EDCOE building went up first, to house the 200 employees who had been flooded out of the old warehouse building on Placerville Drive when the roof collapsed in 1981. Over the next 20 years, this dedicated team of educators would bring to fruition the educational services to fulfill Ken’s vision.

A new Child Development Center with bright colorful classrooms full of books, educational toys, little chairs and tables, even tiny toilets in the bathrooms… was built to house Head Start, Daycare and other children’s programs, which were exceeding the capacity of the Smith Flat Center. The sign in front of the new building had been carefully covered until the

dedication ceremony. When it was unveiled, Ken was overwhelmed to learn that the staff had named the building the “Ken Lowry Center.”

Next came a 2-story staff development building and several ancillary facilities for new programs to serve children throughout the county, including Extended Day programs at elementary schools, a Charter school for alternative education, a Home Study community school, and later, Rite of Passage and New Morning. Ken brought additional donations of land for outdoor and environmental education programs, as well as the site where the Community Observatory was erected. In 1988, 19 acres of the donated land was sold by EDCOE to Los Rios Community College District, for one dollar. The Placerville Center, aka UBR; University Behind Raley’s, operating out of old buildings on the fairgrounds since 1966, was reborn on this land in 1992 to become the beautiful college campus now called the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College.

Both in education, and in private life, Ken put the kids’ needs first. He supported his children in every way. When Ken’s first marriage ended, he looked up a former employee, Eve Thomas, who, a year later would become his second wife. Weekends and summers with Dad and Eve were filled with adventure; camping, fishing, flying, boating, skiing... introducing the kids to lakes, rivers, oceans, mountains and deserts… all over the country, as well as a few in Canada and Mexico. Limited time and money mattered not! Some of the fondest memories shared by all of Ken’s children are the camping trips to Salt Springs Reservoir. Ken and Eve had one car; a VW bug. With 3 kids and the dog in the back, camping gear and food for 10 days had to fit into the old flat-bottomed fishing boat on top. Ken invented a rack to hang off the back bumper for the ice-chests. The VW was quite the sight on the highway. Children in passing cars were seen pointing in wonder and asking their parents, “What’s THAT!?” The last 30 miles up a bumpy dirt road were tricky, and then came the really fun part. Camping supplies came out of the boat to be carried over a 6 foot wall at the dam. Then the boat was lifted over, and everything was reloaded. People and dogs hiked 3 miles to the top of the lake while Ken piloted the boat to “our” camping spot, where he had built a driftwood picnic table. One year we were late getting in, the afternoon winds had come up, things were piled high in the boat... it started taking on water and Ken almost got to shore before the boat sank. Wet sleeping bags were draped across bushes to dry. The first night was a bit cold and damp... but morning brought renewed energy. The journey continued and camp was made!

One of Ken’s greatest pleasures was flying his V-Tail Bonanza. He was happy to rise before the sun to fly Eve to her consulting jobs in Nevada. He would fly back to Tahoe, work 8 - 5, then fly again to retrieve her from Lovelock, Battle Mountain, wherever... Anything to fly! Ken flew across the country many times; even across the water to Puerto Rico, but his favorite destination was Mexico. Ken, Eve and the kids made many trips with CP Rotary Club members to their Sister City Uruapan, in Michoacan, where the Rotarians supported an orphanage housing 90 children. The Uruapan Rotarians awarded Ken the Paul Harris Medal, a very high honor in Rotary, for his work on this project.

Ken Lowry was a man of many interests, supported by a wealth of energy and talent. He farmed, he fished, built furniture, laid tile, wrote a book, played piano, loved opera and classical music. He could fix anything; cars, bikes, broken pipes, cranky appliances and computers. When the well stopped sending up water, he hooked a ‘come-along’ to the old pickup, threw a cable over a big tree branch, winched the pump out of the well, and fixed it the same day.

Ken was an inventor. As a young man, watching a bartender in Santa Rosa laboriously peeling strips of lemon rinds to garnish drinks, he invented and patented a simple tool to make perfect twists, peel oranges cleanly, and create decorative cups to hold the segments. It was the 60’s. Bing Crosby and Sunkist wanted the “Kentool” to promote Sunkist oranges. Opportunity! Sadly, the contract required worldwide patents and a teacher’s salary wouldn’t cover those legal costs. Years later, the original Kentool enjoyed a limited distribution when Eve’s dad manufactured them in his machine shop.

Ken retired from schools at 65, but had the energy and outlook of a much younger man. After his retirement, Ken and Eve traveled to Paraguay to adopt their son, Tomas, the light of Ken’s life in his later years.

Ken is survived by his wife, Eve Lowry, his daughters: Rena Davonne Lowry, her children Brandon Mazzone and Brieta Carpenter, his daughter Krislyn Lowry, her children John Yates and Koorisa Layton, his son, Tomas Lowry, his grandson, KJ Lowry, his niece, Bonnie Dupy and her sons, Chris, Josh and Zach, as well as 5 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Rena Carnes and William Lowry, his son, Kenneth John Lowry, his sister, Ada Lorene Williamson, and his first wife, Carolyn Parks. Ken was well loved and fiercely loving. His spirit will be held close in our hearts forever.

Mower sparks blaze in Luneman area

Krysten Kellum

Editor

A wildland fire north of Placerville in the Luneman Road area started Friday afternoon when a lawn mower struck a rock, according to Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit officials.

The firefight on the ground assisted by aerial resources kept the flames from burning homes or other structures; the blaze’s growth was held to 6.4 acres.

The fire was reported on the 800 block of East El Largo Drive around 2:30 p.m. with flames moving toward

Hidden Lake Drive, according to radio scanner traffic. Firefighters saw some short-range spot fires but crews were able to get ahead of the blaze, reporting forward progress had been stopped by about 3:30 p.m.

Area residents were not ordered to evacuate but roads in were shut

down; a hard closure was in place at Luneman and Springvale roads. Agencies assisting in the emergency response include the Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit, Rescue Fire Department and El Dorado County Fire Protection District, as well as the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

First West Nile virus case reported Margaret Fortune to run in District 1 race

Mountain Democrat staff

El Dorado County health officials received confirmation on Friday of the first human case of West Nile virus. The infection was reported near Placerville, according to spokesperson for the county Carla Hass.

The infected county resident is reportedly recovering.

West Nile virus activity has been detected in 26 humans in 12 California counties. El Dorado County announced the first bird-positive case this year

Aug. 2. West Nile virus can be transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes get the virus when they feed on infected birds. The illness is not spread from person-toperson. While most people infected with the virus show no symptoms, some may have high fever, severe headache, tiredness and/or a stiff neck that can last several days to several weeks.

Officials note mosquito surveillance

News release

Education pioneer and longtime El Dorado Hills resident Margaret Fortune recently announced her candidacy for the open El Dorado County Board of Supervisors District 1 seat.

Fortune, 51, enters the race having spent her career building and leading a network of public charter schools dedicated to lifting up the

Legacy Continued from A1 we would not be here today.

“It was the community that got the ear of the board members that convinced them to vote yes,” he continued. “It was the community that helped to steer the design and longevity (of the facility). It was the community that made this all happen.”

As D’Agostini passed the badge onto now Sheriff Jeff Leikauf earlier this year, District 2 Supervisor Geroge Turnboo brought forth the idea of renaming the facility in D’Agostini’s honor. The board voted 3-2 in favor of the action.

The community, then and now, was less divided in honoring the man who spearheaded the EDSO’s magnum opus. Meandering politically and financially, D’Agostini became the main instrument in a band of people who worked to see the construction of the facility through, a process started in 2011. The $68 million sheriff’s campus, considered the largest capital project in the county’s history at the time, was finished in 2019, complete with an evidence building, a special operations and training facility, a shooting range and a morgue.

Previously EDSO had operated out of a handful of smaller county-owned properties. In addition to guiding the

county to construct a new EDSO headquarters, it was noted his dedication to law enforcement and public safety were all admired by those he worked with and the community at large — as well as Sheriff Leikauf.

“I know there were many who took part in the process of this one-of-a-kind, beautiful facility and the place that we get to call home, but this campus and the heavy lift that it would take to get it done had to start with an idea or a dream,” Leikauf said.

“In my 33 years with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office I know others along the way who had the same dream or idea of a new facility, but the main reason we’re all standing here today is because it took someone with a determined mindset, a thought process that plays out at a higher elevation than the norm, that could maneuver and put the chess pieces in place and someone who most importantly sees a project of this magnitude through to completion.”

That leadership involved working many hours during D’Agostini’s 12-year time as sheriff, oftentimes over holidays, vacations and nights, according to his wife Janine.

“Public safety has no brakes — crime and bad things happen 24/7 and John dedicated his life to keeping this and other

communities safe. I think he set a pretty good precedent on that,” Janine told the crowd. “John, from the bottom of our hearts, from the kids, our entire family and all of our friends, we couldn’t be prouder of how hard you worked as El Dorado County sheriff. You deserve this honor so much.”

Additionally D’Agostini was presented with a proclamation honoring his service from Lauren Hernandez, district director for Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil and an additional plaque from Turnboo.

“The public safety facility is a state-of-the-art building, which will prepare the Sheriff’s Office for decades to come, and for that reason we honored Sheriff D’Agostini by naming the public safety facility after him,” Turnboo added.

Former Supervisor Brian Veerkamp, who served during the bulk of D’Agostini’s time as sheriff, shared with the crowd what it was like to work with the now retired sheriff to get the public safety facility approved, which proved difficult; he praised D’Agostini’s persistence.

“I’m just so proud to have been a member of this team that put this together,” Veerkamp commented. “But again, it was driven by the man we’re gonna honor today, his family, as well as his team.”

Dr. Little’s Dental News Presented by Jeffery Little, D.D.S.

MEDICATIONS MAY CAUSE RISK TO

At your next dental appointment, be sure to disclose any and all medications you’re taking, including over-the-counter drugs. Both prescription and over-thecounter medications can cause oral health issues. Some medications, including illegal drugs, cause a condition called “dry mouth,” which increases the risk of tooth decay. A healthy flow of saliva is essential for reducing bacteria, neutralizing acids, and rebuilding tooth enamel. Common meds that cause dry mouth are antidepressants, diuretics, antihistamines, decongestants,beta blockers, and inhalers. In addition to damaging teeth, these and other medications can damage your gums. Some medications can cause gums to thicken and grow over the teeth; this is called gingival hyperplasia.

Such medications include epilepsy and blood pressure meds, cyclosporin, and calcium channel blockers.

Choose a family dentist who has a sincere interest in their patients’ complete health and who is up to date on the latest oral health care issues. If you are looking for just such a dentist, we invite you to call us for an appointment. At our state-of-theart office, all dental problems are dealt with efficiently, effectively, and compassionately. And any medical problems noticed during a dental exam will be discussed with your other health care providers if you so choose.

P.S. Knowledge of the medications you take will help your dentist determine the best course of treatment and the treatments for which you’re eligible.

RICHARD

Great King of England and true friend of the rights of man, murdered by traitors, August 22, 1485. He, and those who fell at Bosworth Field, having kept faith, merit this day our devoted remembrance. “Loyaulte Me Lie.”

RICHARD III SOCIETY, INC.

Bonnie Battaglia (530) 622-6470

Mountain Democrat photo by Chris Jones

An air tanker drops a load of fire retardant over the East El Largo Road neighborhood.

Photo courtesy of Cal Fire Smoke rises out of a vegetation fire in the Luneman Road area Friday afternoon.

Mountain Democrat photos by Eric Jaramishian

Supervisor George Turnboo, left photo, presents John D’Agostini with an honorary plaque in dedication to the former sheriff’s 12-year service to El Dorado County. Community members, right, photo, applaud speakers who took the podium to tell the story of how the Sheriff John D’Agostini Public Safety Facility got built.

California Matters

Legislature is avoiding key issues, i.e. worsening fire insurance crisis

As the Legislature reconvenes for the final month of its 2023 session, it will be deciding the fate of hundreds of remaining bills.

It would be fair, if a bit cynical, to say that California could survive quite nicely if 90% of them never made it to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

It would be equally fair and cynical to say that the session will adjourn in September without effectively dealing with some very serious, even existential, issues that adversely affect the lives of those legislators are sworn to serve.

The housing crisis is one. Another session will end without addressing misuse of the California Environmental Quality Act to stall or kill much-needed housing projects.

Newsom persuaded the Legislature to reform CEQA’s effects of public works projects, but is apparently unwilling to take on the heavy lift of reforming its impact on housing.

Letters to the Editor

Sharing beliefs

EDITOR:

summary

The Legislature has returned to Sacramento for the final month of its 2023 session but will adjourn without acting on several major issues, including a crisis in fire insurance availability.

As the housing crisis persists, it forces ever-more lowincome Californians out of homes and apartments and into the streets, thus worsening the nation’s worst — by far — homelessness crisis that the Californians put at the top of their concerns.

Legislators and Newsom, besot with ideological commitments to criminal justice reform, are loath to crack down on the criminals terrorizing merchants and residents of the state’s major cities. One of the pending measures, Senate Bill 553, would compel employers to implement plans to mitigate violence against their workers, facing fines and potential lawsuits for failure. Business groups complain that it would wrongly blame employers, rather than criminals, for invasive attacks.

There are many other issues being ignored and one of the more important is a developing

n See Walters page A5

Guest Column

The United States of America has never had a Christian government. Our founding fathers made it a point to keep religion and our government separate. This protects our freedom of religion and protects the church from the state, as well as the state from the church.

Throughout our existence as a nation the vast majority of citizens have been Christians. So it would be appropriate to describe the United States as a Christian nation, just as one could describe Indonesia as a Muslim nation or India as a Hindu nation.

This nation used to be greatly influenced by Christian values, an example being the 10 Commandments displayed at the Supreme Court and in courthouses across the country.

Whether we view this as a good thing or a bad thing probably hinges on whether we share Christian values, but it does not change our country’s history.

One could argue also that we are no longer a Christian nation as anti-Godly influences are increasing. Again, whether you think this is good or bad, probably depends on your own personal beliefs.

We can share our beliefs with each other because our founding fathers saw fit to guarantee freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

TOM BERGMANN Cameron Park

Another Charlie Brown on us

EDITOR:

Remember the Peanuts cartoon where Lucy convinces Charlie Brown to kick the football while she holds it — only to move the ball at the last minute and cause Charlie Brown to land flat on his back? One of her more memorable reasons was, “In every program, Charlie Brown, there are a few last minute changes.”

Now, imagine us, the ratepayers and taxpayers of California, as Charlie Brown and Patti Poppe

of PG&E as Lucy and you have a clear idea of PG&E’s latest proposal to reduce its tree and brush trimming program around power lines and equipment. Poppe is proposing that its recently deployed power sectionalizers and reclosers will magically fix the issue of trees falling into power lines. PG&E’s proposal positions that computerprogrammed, remotely controlled “switches” (aka sectionalizers and reclosers) are more effective and efficient than trimming trees.

But wait, there’s more. PG&E was allowed to conduct its own “risk management study” that confirmed these results. It reminds me of another famous Peanut’s story — Lucy, the Psychiatrist. Are we, like Charlie Brown, so gullible to believe that PG&E would have an independent risk study? Of course, the sectionalizers and reclosers save money over paying its own bloated bureaucracy and contractors to remove brush and trees.

But there are more serious issues to discuss in terms of risk and impact — such as how sectionalizers and reclosers operate and what impacts they have on people that depend on electricity for life-safety like oxygen generators or refrigeration for pharmaceuticals. These types of devices “trip” or turn off power dynamically. However, they can only be “turned on” or “reset” by a PG&E lineman going to the specific power pole and conducting a manual reset. This manual reset could take several hours due to the nature of the technology and safety checks required. Furthermore, these types of devices can and do cause power surges and “line sag” that can destroy modern appliances like your washer, drier, TV, microwave or even range because of embedded microchips that are sensitive. PG&E doesn’t mention these issues because they would counter the company’s risk assessment.

Before we sign up with the next fairytale promise Poppe is making for “undergrounding” cables and dumbly accept another football kick promise, consider these facts:

• Undergrounding cables in urban areas, without massive granite and bedrock formations, can cost

n See letters page A5

Pro-crime Legislature making fools of lawful citizens

Will Rogers once said, “Congress met today. I was afraid they might.” But even Rogers might be at a loss for words trying to describe the damage done by the California Legislature, which is poised to fail — once again — at government’s basic duty of public safety.

At issue is Assembly Bill 819, which will decriminalize “fare jumping” on the Bay Area’s Rapid Transit system.

Now, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed any of the countless articles, videos, news stories, opinion pieces and personal anecdotes about San Francisco’s death spiral. It is the homeless mecca, the smash-andgrab capital, the temple of brazen shoplifting and the nation’s biggest open-air drug market. Commercial property prices are plummeting. Businesses can’t leave fast enough.

I pray the city, which is so important to the state’s prosperity, can turn itself around.

With all those problems, why would the Legislature think now

is a good time to turn BART into an accountability-free zone for criminals? The system itself is already a distillation of the city’s problems, having devolved into a rolling homeless shelter. The videos of drug zombies clogging BART stations are shocking. I can’t imagine a family hopping on a BART train and heading to San Francisco, knowing what might await them during and after their rides.

Incredibly, Sacramento wants to make it all worse.

AB 819 will eliminate the ability to charge chronic fare evaders with a misdemeanor. Under this bill, the worst possible punishment any fare jumper could receive would be a $400 fine. I will go out on a limb and say anyone repeatedly cheating BART out of fare will not be ponying up the $400. This will be mock justice that leads to an even sorrier system, hard as that is to believe. It will make fools of law-abiding citizens who want a clean, safe transportation system and dutifully

pay their fares to support it.

Meanwhile, the Legislature is contemplating raising the tolls on Bay Area bridges, all to subsidize BART, where ridership is down 60% from pre-pandemic levels.

This is classic California legislative malfeasance, punishing the lawabiding to reward the law-breaking.

If you are thinking, “I never ride BART. Who cares?” know that the fabric of this state is frayed by bad laws and by laws treated only as suggestions. It breeds contempt for order and leads to more and worse crime.

Little crimes can’t be ignored or, in this case, sanctioned by the Legislature. This is the central tenet of “broken windows” policing, which has led to spectacular decreases in crime in numerous cities.

But our legislators will be putting the rocks in criminals’ hands to break the windows. It will not end well.

Rural counties won’t be spared. This culture change will spill over into every region of the state. The carefree fare jumpers of BART will be emboldened to be the shoplifters, vandals and trespassers of every town they visit. BART already has data that indicate most crimes committed on its system are committed by people who evade fares. Lawlessness breeds lawlessness, wherever it exists.

The Legislature shouldn’t give the green light to crime. We need to get justice back on track or see BART’s chaos travel to every corner of the state. If you agree, call your legislators and let them know.

Sen. Ted Gaines (Ret.) was elected to represent the Board of Equalization’s First District, providing representation for nearly 10 million constituents in 34 counties of northern, eastern and southern California. For more information visit boe.ca.gov/Gaines.

DAn WALTErS TED GAinES

Under this bill, the worst possible punishment any fare jumper could receive would be a $400 fine. i will go out on a limb and say anyone repeatedly cheating BArT out of fare will not be ponying up the $400.

Four new liquor licenses available in county soon

Odin Rasco

Staff writer

Four El Dorado County-based restaurants will soon have the opportunity to add liquor to the menu, as the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has announced in a press release that four new on-sale general licenses for public eating places have been authorized.

The application period for the licenses will begin Sept. 11 and go through September 22; only one priority application will be accepted from any one applicant. The filing fee for a priority application will cost $17,335, and must be paid at time of filing. Applications will be accepted at the ABC’s Sacramento district office at 2400 Del Paso Road, Suite 155, Sacramento, CA 95834, or at any other ABC office throughout the state.

If four or fewer applications are received during the filing window, applicants will be notified they have 90 days to complete a formal application for the specific premises. If more than four applications are filed, the opportunity

Walters Continued from A4 crisis in home insurance coverage as one-by-one, insurers shun the California market, saying that wildfires, construction costs and other factors are creating more financial exposure than they can cover with premiums.

As California homeowners become unable to find coverage from the private market, more are forced into the state’s FAIR program as a last resort, with high premiums and limits on coverage.

Insurers complain the Department of Insurance doesn’t allow them to include forward-looking catastrophic modeling in their rates, requiring them to base premiums only on past experiences. Nor are they allowed to include the costs of reinsurance, which insurers use to mitigate potential liability.

An Assembly committee conducted a hearing into the crisis and the viability of catastrophe modeling two months ago. A staff report noted, “Eight of California’s top 20 wildfires have occurred in the last half-dozen years, burning 8,512 structures,” with “the top three largest fires — the August Complex fire in 2020, the Dixie fire in 2021 and the Mendocino Complex fire in 2018 — burned a collective 2.45 million acres and destroyed 2,526 structures.”

The list of disastrous wildfires didn’t include the 2018 Camp Fire that was relatively small in acreage, but wiped out the town of Paradise, destroyed more than 18,800 structures, caused 85 deaths and resulted in more than $16.5 billion in

losses.

Despite the peril posed by wildfires and the everworsening insurance availability crisis, the net result of the hearing was that everybody thought something should be done, but nothing concrete emerged.

One factor is a change in the Department of Insurance that voters decreed 35 years ago, making the insurance commissioner an elective office. The ambitious politicians who win the position feel pressure to keep premiums as low as possible, even if they drive insurers out of the state.

Consumer groups oppose forward-looking catastrophic modeling — which is used for earthquake insurance — because it would almost certainly boost fire insurance premiums.

It’s a tradeoff between insurance availability and insurance costs that cannot be, politically, a winwin situation.

Dan Walters is a journalist and author who writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Letters Continued from A4 at least $1,500,000 per mile.

• You cannot underground the large transmission tower lines because of voltage and cooling issues.

• The 69kV lines that can be put underground require complexly dry conduit, cooling to prevent line insulation damage and transformer damage and a burial depth of a minimum of 60 inches or more.

• The cost per mile does not include maintenance costs or the price of electricity for cooling the lines.

• With 1083 “centerline” miles in El Dorado County, the cost for our county would be $1,624,500,000.

Sure looks like another “football” kick for Patti Poppe. Let’s not flop on our backs again. MATT SILVEIRA Placerville

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 Steve’s Pizza, 3941 Park Dr., El Dorado Hills, CA. 95762

Struggle with a hurt, hang up, or habit? ceLeBrAte recOvery meets at Radiant Church on Wednesday nights at 6:30 pm, 4602 Missouri Flat Road, Placerville. We are a Christ centered recovery program to find healing from our hurts, hang ups, and habits. Email CR@radiantedc.church. Find us on Facebook at: https://www. facebook.com/CRradiantchurch.

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 8am-10am at El Dorado High School. Lessons, social events, only $50/year. Call Cindy 805-540-8654. mArsHALL HOsPitAL

AUxiLiAry is looking for volunteers. It is a rewarding opportunity to do something for the community. We will be holding interviews on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. Please contact Linda Grimoldi at 530-6202240 or call the Auxiliary Office at 530-626-2643.

mONDAy cLUB BriDGe seeks more players. The club is a very informal, friendly group and invites interested men and women party bridge players to join. The club meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at Denny’s Restaurant on Fair Lane in Placerville at 10:00 am. For more information, call (530) 622-1180.

seNiOr Peer cOUNseLiNG

Seniors 55 and over who are grieving, depressed or having issues related to aging can meet one-on-one with a caring senior, professionally supervised and trained to listen and encourage. Call (530)6216304 to leave a message and get started.

tAxPAyers AssOciAtiON Of eL DOrADO cOUNty

Our mission is to educate the public on tax issues that affect them. Our meetings are held every Monday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 at Denny’s Restaurant, Fair Lane Drive, Placerville. Meetings are open to the public. For more information call Louis (530) 622-6763. We are a nonpartisan organization.

10-8 | Sun 10-7

Red-legged frog a Mosquito fire survivor

Meghan Snow

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Almost a year has passed since the Mosquito Fire roared through the American River Canyon. Steep hillsides covered in oak and pine trees, shrubs and grasses went up in flames. The fire started Sept. 6, 2022, and burned for 46 days, destroying homes and small businesses and blackening more than 76,000 acres of National Forest and privatelyowned lands. But a recent visit to the burn area provided some hope to wildlife biologists. A small population of California red-legged frogs, a threatened species, survived the fire.

“The Mosquito Fire

went right through one of the most robust populations of the frog in the Sierra Nevada. It will take time for this area to recover, but the fact that this frog is still here shows the resiliency of wildlife,” said Rick Kuyper, division supervisor of

Fortune Continued from A3

academic performance of underserved students across Sacramento and San Bernardino counties, advising two California governors on education policy and operating an organization with 460 employees and a $52 million budget.

“We need more ‘let’s get this done’ from our elected leaders, more cooperation and better decisionmaking,” said Fortune. “I’m running because I, like most residents, love the community spirit and amenities of El Dorado Hills and want to see our community flourish.

“That includes bringing seniors more housing opportunities they can afford and that let them downsize if they want without having to move away. We must protect our open space, ensure public safety, improve wildfire prevention and response, and it’s time for greater fiscal responsibility,” She continued. “We achieve these goals through leadership and action. That’s what I’ll bring.”

In addition to her business experience in the nonprofit sector, Fortune has been an education advisor to two California governors, Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. She was the chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, a commissioner on the First 5 California Commission and a trustee on the California State University Board of Trustees for eight years.

Fortune’s parents were educators and she went to school with them as a child. She wanted schools to be better for underserved children in California, so Fortune founded Fortune School, a

West Nile Continued from A3

programs are in place throughout the county to reduce spread of West Nile virus. Activities include trapping and identifying mosquitoes, treating neglected swimming pools and reporting and testing dead birds. Medical providers are required to report all cases of West Nile virus to the El Dorado County Public Health Division, which will coordinate with the Environmental Management Department to investigate the geographic area (if available) for surveillance activities.

The following tips are given to help prevent West Nile virus:

• Drain standing water around the property and keep water in swimming pools, ponds and water troughs circulating or treated with “mosquito dunks” or mosquito fish.

• Apply insect repellent that contains DEET or another approved substance (e.g. picaridin, oil of lemon

the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office’s Sierra Cascades Division.

The California red-legged frog is found more often in California’s coastal areas but it also calls the Big Gun Conservation

n

network of 12 public charter schools, serving 2,200 students located in Sacramento and San Bernardino. She has built nonprofit schools from the ground up, while growing her team to 460 educators focused on a mission to prepare low-income students for college starting in preschool through 12th grade. Fortune founded an early college high school in partnership with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cosumnes River College where in 2023 100% of seniors graduated, 82% were accepted to a four-year college and over a third earned full-ride scholarships.

Fortune was asked by Butte County’s school superintendent to help re-open seven schools that burned down in the Camp Fire. Volunteering in the wildfire relief effort to help the children of Paradise get back to school moved Fortune to stay engaged in wildfire prevention. She was elected to the El Dorado Resource Conservation District Board in 2023.

A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor’s in political science, Fortune earned her master’s in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo awarded Fortune an honorary doctorate for her contributions to the field of education.

Fortune has lived in El Dorado Hills with her wife Anette for nearly a decade. Anette grew up in a small town in Germany and is adjunct faculty in child development at Folsom Lake College.

For more information visit Margaret4Supervisor.com.

eucalyptus or IR 3535) on exposed skin when outdoors.

• Dress in long sleeves and pants when outdoors among mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn.

• Make sure doors and windows have tight fitting screens kept in good condition.

• Report dead birds and tree squirrels to the state West Nile Virus hotline at (877) WNV-BIRD (877) 968-2473 or online at westnile.ca.gov.

• Wear gloves and place the dead bird or squirrel in a double plastic bag if you dispose of it yourself.

Mosquito problems and neglected swimming pools should be reported to the Environmental Management Department at (530) 621-5300 on the West Slope or (530) 573-3450 in South Lake Tahoe. Additional West Nile virus information can be found at westnile.ca.gov or edcgov.us/emd.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Ian Vogel

In 2022 the Mosquito Fire burned through habitat on the Tahoe National Forest built for California red-legged frogs, a threatened species.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Rick Kuyper

A California red-legged frog is found in a pond on Big Gun Conservation Bank in MIchigan Bluff. This frog was found several months after the Mosquito Fire, giving biologists hope the threatened amphibian would make a comeback in the area.

See frogs, page A7

Frogs Continued from A6

Bank in Michigan Bluff home. The conservation bank, managed by Westervelt Ecological Services, is a piece of conserved habitat for the frog and surveys before the fire showed that it was home to one of the largest populations of red-legged frogs in the Sierra Nevada.

Based on the promising population data, biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Tahoe National Forest agreed steps could be taken to help the frogs expand onto nearby national forest lands. In 2021 and early 2022, the Tahoe National Forest built approximately 19 ponds within a mile of the conservation bank, giving the frogs new habitat to discover and populate.

But the Mosquito Fire put the conservation effort into question.

Michigan Bluff was heavily impacted by the Mosquito Fire; homes and businesses were lost, trees were burned to ash and ponds at the conservation bank and Tahoe National Forest were turned into muddy puddles. Several months passed before the area was deemed safe for biologists to assess the impacts of the fire on listed plants and animals.

“When we got out to the ponds on the Tahoe National Forest we could see that the area burned at a very high intensity. Almost every tree and shrub surrounding the ponds was killed, and most of the downed logs were completely consumed,” said Ian Vogel, senior wildlife biologist with the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office. “We also saw that the water in

Liquor licenses

the ponds was very cloudy due to the unstable soils left behind from the fire.”

The team continued its assessment of the burn scar by visiting the Big Gun Conservation Bank. The land also burned but less severely than the neighboring Tahoe National Forest. That gave biologists hope. They looked among the fallen trees, remaining water and burned shrubs for frogs. Then, a sharp-eyed biologist from Westervelt spotted a red-legged frog partially submerged in one of the bank’s remaining ponds.

“Even though the area burned at high severity, the vegetation will eventually return,” said Vogel. “As the land and frog populations recover, we think it’s likely the frogs will expand to the ponds on the Tahoe National Forest.”

Although no California red-legged frogs were observed in the newly built ponds on Tahoe National Forest, large populations of the native tree frog were seen in many of the ponds. The fact that tree frogs found the ponds quickly and are already using the ponds as breeding habitat shows the value of these ponds to native species. The group plans to return next spring and hopes to see California red-legged frogs breeding at the conservation bank and in the Tahoe National Forest.

Similar ponds built between 201416 in the Georgetown Ranger District of the Eldorado National Forest were untouched by the Mosquito Fire; Forest Service biologists earlier this year reported breeding success for the redlegged frogs, with multiple egg masses laid each year in those ponds.

Continued from A5

to file a formal application will be determined by a virtual drawing. Unsuccessful drawing participants will be refunded their application fee (minus a $100 service charge) but will retain priority ranking until next year. For an applicant to participate in the drawing, they must have been a California resident for at least 90 days prior to the date of the scheduled drawing.

Lawsuit

Continued from A1

mentioned that on multiple occasions a group of students would persistently antagonize her, throw food at her, harass her via social media and text messages, violently attack her and on multiple occasions followed her until near her home as she walked from the bus.

Photographs acquired by the Mountain Democrat, some of which were found on social media, show multiple altercations that appear to involve multiple students fighting with S.L. One photograph shows S.L. sustained injuries, including heavy bruising on her head, which she and Lewis say stem from a March 11, 2022, attack. Multiple texts sent anonymously to S.L. include threatening language and harassment regarding her brother.

“Watch wen Sammie bang ur dumbass out,” reads one text. “Get a job go get some money Ur brothers retard checks ain’t gone cut it forever hunny.”

Lewis says her son, who is autistic, has also been facing similar bullying at local schools, being called slurs and having his braids pulled out by other students.

“This isn’t just about my daughter, you know? This is about every kid that’s going through this,” Lewis said. S.L. explained her experiences with discrimination and persistent racism made school increasingly difficult to focus on, and impacted her health as well.

“I started off really good. I love school. I love going to school even despite all the bullying, I could still find a way to bury my head in history or something that I can be interested in, but it just all went downhill after freshman year,” S.L. said.

S.L. explained her grades began to slip as she grew increasingly stressed by the prospect of going to school and being harassed again at any moment; she described a spectrum of mistreatment from physical fights to seemingly deliberate choices by the cheerleading team to exclude her and other Black friends from a group chat. According to S.L., her two Black friends on the team moved away due to the mistreatment they faced at the school. When news of the lawsuit came out, S.L. and Lewis said they both began to encounter confrontation from community members and from strangers on the internet, often making assumptions about their honesty and motivation for filing a complaint.

“They don’t get it,” Lewis emphasized. “It’s not about the money. I don’t care if it’s $10 or $10 million. I just want the truth to come out. We

COMiCS

n SHOE by Jeff MacNelly

n TUNDRA by Chad Carpenter

n RUBES by Leigh Rubin

Potential applicants are encouraged to apply early in the filing window to avoid lengthy wait times. Additional information and instructions regarding applications will be made available in coming weeks at abc.ca.gov.

Purchased licenses cannot be sold or transferred for a price greater than the original fee paid by the seller or transferor and cannot be transferred from one county to another.

want accountability. Apologize to this little girl; say you know you realize you ruined her high school years and then also affected a lot of her adult years, because this is going to be carried on forever.

“I went the civil rights lawsuit avenue for a reason. This isn’t about the money for me. This is about a school with a very deep history that still has kids riding around with Confederate flags and all types of stuff. How is she supposed to feel comfortable?”

Lewis added that her lawyers recommended pursuing damages as a financial impact on the school was the one route that would give grounds for a lawsuit seeking deeper accountability. Lewis says her ideal scenario would see the school presenting a formal apology and hiring a more diverse faculty that students from different backgrounds could be comfortable with.

Lewis and S.L.’s family relocated to a different part of the county in an attempt to avoid some of the more active harassment they have seen since the lawsuit.

“We moved here to get away from the possibility of someone showing up again, or following her home from the bus. To stop 30-year-old men calling her the n-word and throwing stuff at her,” Lewis said.

S.L. has just started her senior year and will be completing high school in an independent study course to avoid further harassment. Her experiences have motivated her to pursue a future as a civil rights lawyer, she says, in the hope she can help others avoid the challenges she has faced.

The lawsuit has recently been in a process of arbitration but Lewis is ready to continue to trial if the school and district does not accept accountability.

When asked for comment regarding the ongoing litigation, Serena Fuson, executive assistant to the superintendent at EDUHSD provided the following statement:

“The El Dorado Union High School District is aware of the allegations contained in a recent court filing. These documents allege that the district and the referenced employees engaged in negligence and deliberate indifference. These allegations are untrue. The district disputes the factual allegations upon which claims are based but is declining to comment further as litigation has commenced. To be clear, the El Dorado Union High School District is committed to providing equal opportunities for all individuals in district programs and activities and prohibits discrimination.”

n SPEED BUMP by Dave Coverly

HOROSCOPE by Holiday Mathis

n TODAy

ARIES (March 21-April 19). There’s something you want and cannot achieve alone. You will have the cooperation of peers. Be ready to give them clear instructions. You’re a leader with a vision, and it helps that you express it in fun ways.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your imagination is wild, but you can absolutely tame it to serve greater purposes. This you will do. Self-defeating thoughts are worse than any external enemy could be. Get a hold of your mental patterns and you’ll control your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The dilemmas give you a chance to find your own unique solutions. Keep a cool head and any inconvenience you experience will add humor and interest to your day.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). New information sources, relationships and experiences will serve to expand your worldview. Knowing what is going on in other places will give you ideas about what to do in your part of the globe.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Ever-aware that we are all sharing the planet, you navigate respectfully. Sometimes it feels like you’re the only one with grace and manners, but others will take their cue from you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s always easier to be generous when the recipient of your generosity happens to be appreciative. But if you want go for sainthood, give to those who don’t appreciate it. Likely they are related to you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The current situation isn’t ideal, but you wouldn’t want to go back to where you were. Remind yourself of all you’re grateful for and all you’ve been able to create in your life and so many more good things are to come.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Options abound. What works for someone else might be all wrong for you. Don’t worry, you’ll know the right choice when you see it. Your heart rate will quicken slightly. It will ring you like a bell.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Avoid bored people who have nothing better to do than work up one another’s emotions over petty things. Stick with the kindred souls with varied interests and wide horizons.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). To bite off more than you can chew is a choking risk, but there are safer ways to approach ambition -- for instance, cutting up more than you can chew. Chunk everything down and it’s totally doable.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You don’t take the focus of others for granted. You expect to earn the attention you get. You’ll deliberately structure interactions to keep things interesting.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Once upon a time, you launched yourself into adventures for the sake of adventuring, but today you’re feeling purposeful. You’re looking for answers, friends, resources. Adventures are just a byproduct of the quest.

In the KNOW

Aug. 23

The Dementia Support Group meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 7 p.m. at 2020 Town Center West in El Dorado Hills. For more information and to RSVP call (916) 467-8330.

Shane Q will perform at 6 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

Capital Stage in Sacramento presents “Clyde’s,” Aug. 23 through Sept. 24. For tickets and more information visit capstage.org.

Aug. 24

The El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce hosts a mixer at David Girard Vineyards in Placerville, 5:30-7:30 p.m. For more information visit business.eldoradocounty. org/events.

Join the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce at the ribbon cutting for Creamy’s, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 2023 Vine St., Suite 106, El Dorado Hills.

Details + Materials:

Works by Claudine Granthem are on display at Switchboard Gallery, 525 Main St. in Placerville, Aug. 24 through Oct. 1 with an opening reception scheduled 6-8 p.m. Aug. 24.

El Dorado Hills Town Center hosts Live on the Boulevard free concerts every Thursday. The next

serves as a delicious community gathering spot

top by a new roadside attraction near Highway 50: Blue Barn Provisions, a gourmet market and eatery whose eponymous blue barn seems destined to become an area landmark. Offering local beers, ciders, wines and picnic fare, Blue Barn Provisions is the ideal

introduction to Apple Hill and wine country. Christine Wehr, who owns Blue Barn with her husband Edouard Wehr, sees it as a “welcome center for the area, a first stop before visiting farms, wineries or going off on other adventures.”

Christine, a fourthgeneration Placerville native, and Edouard

have operated a catering business for 25 years, serving clients from Tahoe to the Bay Area. They began looking for a space to start a different kind of business in the foothills, one that would draw from several of their many passions: outdoor recreation, design cuisine, and the bucolic Apple Hill community. “With our

background in catering, we felt like we were gifted something that we wanted to gift back to the community, something needed and appreciated,” Christine explained. “It is about the food and beverages, but it’s rewarding to feel like we are filling a need in the community where

Photo by Caitlin Thompson

Blue Barn Provisions offers a carefully curated menu of gourmet food and local beers and wine at its Camino location.

Dirty cello brings eclectic music to placerville club

News release

What is a Dirty Cello? Find out at the Green Room Social Club in Placerville this Friday.

Dirty Cello is a globe trotting band that performs blues, rock and Americana, all fronted by virtuoso cellist Rebecca Roudman. A classically trained symphony player, Roudman dropped the straight- jacket of classical music years ago and hasn’t looked back.

“We travel all over the place,” said Roudman, “and everywhere we go, the idea is to put on a high-energy show. We’re a rock band, but with a cello instead of a lead guitar.”

Dirty Cello really does get around — with shows from Iceland, to China, to a Santa Cruz nudist resort. The band will be performing at the Green Room Social Club at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, its first time at the popular

venue located in historical downtown Placerville.

Among its many descriptions, Oakland Magazine notes, “Dirty Cello’s music is all over the map: funky, carnival, romantic, sexy, tangled, electric, fiercely rhythmic and textured and only occasionally classical.”

Roudman agrees with this description, adding, “We’re all about the fun at our shows and we step on stage with only a vague plan as to what specific songs we are going to play and we react to what the audience wants to hear and adjust accordingly.”

With a set list ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Charlie Daniels to rocking original songs, the band can deliver on this promise. The Green Room Social Club is located at 251 Main St. in downtown Placerville. Tickets for the concert are available at DirtyCello. com.

welcome

join 4-H.

Sponsored by the University of California and the County of El Dorado, the 4-H Youth Development Program offers limitless opportunities for young people to try new things, make friends and have fun. Community clubs can be found in Camino, Coloma, Latrobe, Placerville, Pleasant Valley, Rescue, Shingle Springs and Somerset. Each club offers a unique variety of projects ranging from animal science, Legos and public speaking to cooking, leadership, gardening, fashion and more. Nearly 500 youth and more than 60 adult volunteers are involved in the El Dorado County 4-H program.

4-H isn’t just animals … so come find your spark.

More than 6 million youth across the country are impacting their communities and stepping up to the challenges of a complex and changing world, making 4-H the nation’s

largest youth development and empowerment organization. Research has proven participation in 4-H has a significant positive impact on young people. Recent findings from the Tufts University 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate, when compared to their peers, young people in 4-H are:

• Nearly four times more likely to contribute to their communities,

• Two times more likely to get better grades in school and

• Nearly Two times more likely to pursue a career in science, technology or engineering

In addition to online open enrollment, El Dorado County 4-H will host an in-person enrollment event, 2-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at the UCCE Office in Placerville located at 311 Fair Lane. To learn more about 4-H programs as well as how to enroll as a youth member or adult volunteer visit ucanr.edu/edc4h, call the El Dorado County 4-H Office at (530) 621-5503 or email eldorado4h@ ucanr.edu.

ACC funds available to nonprofits

News release

STATELINE, Nev. — While Steph Curry’s do-or-die eagle putt to win on the final hole of the American Century Championship in July will live in the annals of tournament lore, what $116,250 in donations from the event will do to help local nonprofits over the coming year will make a difference in people’s lives.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority is inviting area charitable organizations to help themselves with that funding by completing an application by 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28. The application is available at ltva.org/ category/partner-opportunities.

As part of the July celebrity golf tournament, American Century Investments, in partnership with the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and NBC Sports, is committing funds to area nonprofits with priorities based on impact and need regarding youth, environment and community service.

For financial support consideration, organizations must be in South Lake Tahoe or in Douglas County and meet 501(c)3 nonprofit guidelines. Each group must provide an outline of their mission, describe specifically how the donation will be used and indicate how community impact will be measured. Only online applications will be accepted.

Checks will be presented to recipients at the LTVA Board of Directors meeting at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14.

NBC Sports and Korbel California Champagne previously directed an additional $5,000 as part of the annual Korbel Closest-to-thePin contest and funds were also distributed to local and national nonprofits that staffed concession stands during the tournament. To benefit as many organizations as possible, groups that previously n See Acc funds, page B3

Courtesy photo

Virtuoso cellist Rebecca Roudman fronts Dirty Cello, which makes its Green Room Social Club debut this Friday.

Over-watering plants can do more harm than the heat a gardener is trying to protect them from.

Grow for it!

How to save water in your garden

The heat of the summer is upon us and will be for quite a while, so how can a landscape survive this dry, scorching weather? For gardeners, plants are prized possessions and sometimes we overdo the attention paid to them, especially when it comes to watering. Too much water has killed more plants than too little.

The amount of water present in soil is called the moisture content and it must match the needs of each plant. Some plants, such as ferns and azaleas, need more moisture than succulents and cacti, so the first rule in water-wise gardening is placing plants with like water needs together. For instance, it would not be a good idea to plant an azalea next to a succulent; depending on how much you water them, one or the other is not going to survive.

Adding organic matter to the soil is another strategy for saving water. Soil is essentially a collection of mineral particles of different sizes and if most of the particles are large, like sand, water passes through rapidly. If most of the particles are small, like clay, water will penetrate the soil much more slowly. The solution for either problem is the same: Add organic matter in the form of compost, chopped-up leaves or composted manure. If at least an inch or 2 inches of organic matter is added each year, it will improve the texture and waterholding capacity of the soil.

Delivering water to a plant’s root zone through drip irrigation is the preferred method of watering; 90% of water applied in this manner is available to your plants, as opposed to 40-50% from overhead sprinklers. Drip irrigation also minimizes evaporation loss and keeps areas between plants dry, which also helps limit weed growth.

Organic mulches can cut water needs in half by blocking thirsty weeds and reducing evaporation. They also increase the humidity level around plants. Chopped or shredded leaves and organic compost in a 4- to 5-inch layer make excellent mulches;

just be sure to keep any mulch material about 2 inches away from the plant crown so rot does not occur.

Choosing plants carefully for your landscape will mean less work for you in the long run. Varieties that are native to our area and those that do well in a Mediterranean climate like ours will adapt much better and require less maintenance than non-natives.

It has been said many times before, but bears repeating: Lawns are among the thirstiest and most laborintensive plantings in a landscape and getting rid of them or, at the very least, decreasing their size, will go a long way in saving water. Consider planting low water-use groundcovers or perennials instead.

Finally, if you can, delay planting any new plants until fall. They won’t need as much attention and will have a chance to establish good root systems before winter hits. They may not even need much irrigation in the beginning if rain comes a little early.

Join Master Gardeners Saturday, Aug. 26, for a free public education class on Successfully Gardening with Native Plants.

Master Gardener classes are offered monthly throughout the county. Find the class schedule at mgeldorado. ucanr.edu/Public_Education_Classe s/?calendar=yes&g=56698 and recorded classes on many gardening topics at mgeldorado.ucanr.edu/ Public_Education/Classes.

Sherwood Demonstration Garden is open every Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. Master Gardeners will offer tours, answer questions or guests can just enjoy the garden. Check the website for further information about the Sherwood Demonstration Garden at ucanr.edu/sites/EDC_Master_ Gardeners/Demonstration_Garden. Have a gardening question? Master Gardeners are working hard to answer your questions. Use the “Ask a Master Gardener” option on the website, mgeldorado.ucanr.edu, or leave a message on the office telephone at (530) 621-5512. To sign up for notices and newsletters visit ucanr. edu/master_gardener_e-news. Master Gardeners are also on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

ACC funds Continued from B2

received funding during tournament week will not be eligible for additional proceeds.

Since 2009, donations exceeding $2.25 million have been distributed to more than 90 Tahoe area nonprofits to assist 12,000-plus individuals.

“The opportunity to assist the community through our nonprofits — the folks who work every day during the year to help area residents, is one of the most gratifying aspects of the tournament,” said Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “The partnerships we have with American Century Investments and NBC Sports continue to result in positive impacts for the destination, from nonprofit assistance to exposure with branding messages that keep Visit Lake Tahoe top-ofmind among our audiences.”

“Being a part of the South Lake Tahoe community over the years is extremely rewarding,” said Jonathan Thomas, president and CEO of American Century Investments.

“Doing good is at the heart of American Century Investments and we are delighted to support the local Tahoe charities.”

The company’s charitable impact has long been recognized for directing more than 40% of its profits to

medical research.

The nation’s longest running celebrity golf tournament was considered the most memorable in its 34-year history with an international audience captured by Curry’s wireto-wire victory, his hole-in-one and the Hollywood script finish. It also featured a top sports and entertainment celebrity field, all-time attendance of 76,810 and record TV ratings.

In addition to the local charitable impact, the exposure for the destination was measured with substantial ratings as NBC Sports, owner and operator of the championship, televised more than 18 hours of tournament coverage across NBC, GOLF Channel and Peacock platforms.

The magical week included American Century Investment’s 25th anniversary as title sponsor and the announcement of its six-year extension with NBC through 2029, the tournament’s 40th edition. LTVA also signed extensions with NBC and Edgewood Tahoe to keep the hits coming. The 35th annual American Century Championship is July 10-14, 2024. For more information visit AmericanCenturyChampionship.com or visitlaketahoe.com.

Courtesy photo

Sue McDavid UCCE Master Gardener of El Dorado County

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something is missing.”

When they found the barn — which, at that point, was still a rustic red — they knew that they had found something special. “It almost felt like it was custom made for us,” Christine said. The barn has lived a few different lives: First as a tractor barn built in 1960, then as a nursery and later a tasting room for Via Romano Vineyards. Finally, when Christine and Edouard acquired it, they painted the barn blue, “because every other barn is red,” Christine recounted.

The color of the barn isn’t its only unique quality. Edouard, a talented woodworker, created custom seating for the outdoor space. The inside is decorated with antiques, which the couple collected at local shops. A rolling garage door creates “an indoor-outdoor feel” and a communal table constructed from a single enormous piece of wood serves as “the focal point of the main room.” The total effect is a carefully calibrated celebration of place.

“We are in the foothills, so there is

a farm motif, but also a little bit of a mountain motif in there,” Christine said.

The refurbished and repurposed barn is an example of an architectural practice sometimes called adaptive

reuse, which preserves cultural heritage while adding vibrant new elements to the familiar contours of a community. In a community like Apple Hill, where a sense of place is everything, design strategies like adaptive reuse can return a building to civic life by enhancing, rather than changing or replacing, its essential character.

To complement its unique aesthetic, Blue Barn Provisions boasts a carefully curated menu of gourmet foods and local beer and wine. The menu represents a synthesis of the couple’s tastes and backgrounds: “My husband is more meat and potatoes and I’m more healthful,” Christine explained. “He has a French culinary background while mine is in healthy food; I think we meld those together really well.” Their drink selection is decided as much by geography as by gastronomy, as most of the wines come from wineries within a 5-mile radius.

Photo by Caitlin Thompson Edouard Wehr, Christine Wehr and JP Peirano, from left, have made Blue Barn Provisions a go-to spot for locals and Apple Hill visitors. The eatery in open Friday through Sunday.

n See Blue Barn page B5

blue

barn Continued from B4

Through partnerships with neighboring businesses, they’ve created a set of offerings that exemplify the offerings of the region, a kind of sample platter of local fare. This dovetails with their larger goal to be a community gathering place, a hub for locals and an ideal first and last stop for visitors.

“The thought process was creating community space post-COVID,” Christine explained. “We wanted to make a place where people will feel comfortable gathering. We just want to round out the whole experience of the area.”

So far, the community they serve and represent has responded exactly as they hoped: “It’s been so rewarding to see people’s reaction when they walk in. There is a great feeling of welcoming from the community.”

Blue Barn Provisions is located at 3400 Carson Court in Camino. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For more information visit

Know Continued from B1 show features Stevie Ray Visited.. Set up begins at 5:30 p.m. For more information visit edhtowncenter.com.

Old Mule will perform at 7 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

Aug. 25

Take advantage of great deals on gently used books at the El Dorado Hills Friends of the Library book sale, Aug. 25 & 26. The Saturday sale is free entry and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. All money raised from the book sale provides new books and supports programs at the El Dorado Hills Library. If you want the best selection, become a member of the El Dorado Hills Friends of the Library (starting at only $10/year for an individual) and gain access to Friday members-only sales, while providing important support to the library. Find more information at friendsoftheedhlibrary.org/used-book-sales.

Public Notices 

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NOTICIA PÚBLICA

Vacante en la Junta de Gobierno del Distrito Escolar Unido de Placerville El Distrito Escolar Unido de Placerville nombrará a un miembro de la Junta para llenar la vacante creada por la renuncia de Chris Irwin. El término del nombramiento comenzará el 20 de septiembre de 2023 y finalizará el 13 de diciembre de 2024.

La Junta aceptará solicitudes