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C ali forn ia’s Olde st Ne w spaper
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mtdemocrat.com
Monday, December 11, 2023
– E s t. 18 51
Volume 172 • Issue 142 | $1.00
County sets up policy to ban syringe swap Eric Jaramishian Staff writer El Dorado County drafted an urgency ordinance that would take a big step toward eliminating syringe exchange programs on its turf. This would include Sierra Harm Reduction Coalition, which has operated in the county since 2019 under the authorization of California’s Department of Public Health. DPH reauthorized Sierra Harm’s operations, an action county supervisors, Sheriff Jeff Leikauf and District Attorney Vern Pierson publicly disapproved. The action by the Board of Supervisors during its Tuesday, Dec. 5, meeting follows Placer County’s approved prohibition on operation and establishment of such programs. El Dorado County’s ordinance went into a first reading and will go into a final reading next Tuesday, Dec. 12, before a vote can be made to approve the ordinance. The ordinance echoes county leaders’ concerns — a rise in drug overdoses, improper used needle collection and public health risk with little evidence such programs are slowing the spread of blood-borne diseases, including HIV and hepatitis, county officials have said. “The Board of Supervisors recognizes that the establishment and operation of a syringe exchange program will increase improperly disposed
needles which pose a serious risk to the public health, safety and welfare, given the potential for personal bodily injury, property damage and contaminated waterways,” the draft reads. “It is the purpose and intent of this section to prohibit the n See Syringe exchange, page A3
Sierra Harm Reduction director responds Sierra Harm Reduction Coalition Director Tom Ewing and county leaders seem to have one thing in common — both parties ultimately have the goal of preserving El Dorado County residents’ lives. “Who could argue that it is better to let people die than help them be healthier and stay alive?” Ewing asks in a statement emailed to the Mountain Democrat. “Our street support program focuses on safer use, medical care, behavioral care, transportation, housing and addiction treatment, or just giving a compassionate ear to what our clients have to share. Our clients are real human beings.” Coming to the defense of harm reduction and syringeexchange programs, Ewing states since 2020 the coalition has helped 168 individuals navigate people to treatment and long-term recovery. He also has stated the coalition has given out 7,851 doses of Narcan, with clients reporting using it to reverse 1,057 overdoses, which he explained may be an undercount.
PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
n See Ewing, page A6
Mountain Democrat photos by Odin Rasco
Prior to the board meeting, community members meet in Camino Faculty Association President Cora Dillard’s classroom to discuss the state of things at the school, from their point of view. Both the CFA and the school’s California School Employee Association branch recently passed votes of no confidence in superintendent/principal Nelson.
Camino School community demands Nelson resign Odin Rasco Staff writer Camino Union Elementary School District parents, teachers and staff packed into the small portable classroom used for school board meetings Nov. 28 to demand the resignation of Brett Nelson, the school’s new superintendent/ principal. They gathered shoulder-to-shoulder in the small classroom, unable to sit because of the turnout, and waited their turn to speak during the public comment portion of this month’s school board meeting. The public comments ended up taking more than two hours for those in attendance to voice their complaints. Personal testimonies from some parents alleged a list of inappropriate behavior
Parents, teachers, staff and other members of the Camino Union Elementary School District community fill the portable classroom set aside for November’s board meeting to voice their disappointment and demand superintendent/principal Brett Nelson’s resignation. and off-color comments from Nelson, including asking a student their sexual orientation, telling students he would “disrespect them more” if they showed him disrespect and making a joke about buses needing to be
washed “in a bikini.” The specific complaints were joined with broader complaints of how the board and administrators communicated with parents and staff. Demands for resignation were
bolstered by the announcement the Camino Faculty Association and the school’s California School Employees Association had both passed votes of no n See meeting, page A7
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