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– Midweek Edition –
Preserving a legacy
VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 83 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2024
Crozier Fire near full containment Eric Jaramishian Senior staff writer
The Crozier Fire is nearly out, holding the blaze at 1,938 acres and now 98% containment, according to the most recent Cal Fire report. The interior of the perimeter of the fire continues to smolder as crews work on fire line patrols, mop up, hazard tree mitigation and suppression repair operations, according to an Aug. 16 Cal Fire report. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Cal Fire requests anyone traveling on the narrow Rock Creek Road to “use caution when using it for two-way travel into the Mosquito and Swansboro area.” The U.S. Forest Service implemented temporary ■ See CROZIER FIRE, page A5
EDHCSD directors’ conduct questioned Noel Stack Mountain Democrat photo by Odin Rasco
Kris Payne, left, a member of the El Dorado Gold 1848 nonprofit, listens as Thomas Kinkade Hometown Gallery operator Steve Ellenburg explains the five paintings the gallery will be donating to the nonprofit’s museum/cultural center. Two of the donated pieces stand on the easel between the two men, including a recreation of Kinkade’s final piece as it looked at his workspace the day of his death in 2012.
■ Kinkade Gallery makes
memorable donation
Odin Rasco Senior staff writer
A
lthough the Thomas Kinkade Hometown Gallery which has operated on Main Street in downtown Placerville for a decade is set to close Aug. 24, some of Kinkade’s art will stay on display in his hometown thanks to a recent donation made to a local nonprofit. Over the past few years, El Dorado Gold 1848 has been working toward the creation of a new museum and cultural center located at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Main Street (just next to the city’s landmark redwood). The space is planned to host multiple exhibits, including a mineral and gem room, local art and historical artifacts. One room, dubbed “The Gallery Room,” will soon sport six works donated on behalf of the closing Main Street gallery in honor of Kinkade’s ties to Placerville. “This was his hometown, and I felt like I ought to do something to preserve his work in the area,”
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explained gallery art consultant and local artist Steve Ellenburg. “Something ought to be left here for Thomas’ legacy.” Kinkade grew up in Placerville, graduating from El Dorado High School in 1976. Many of his earlier works used his hometown as an inspiration, with scenes depicting Main Street and other Placerville landmarks spilling light out onto a snowy environment. During his life, his art had achieved widespread success, with the Thomas Kinkade Company claiming that one in every 20 U.S. homes owned a copy of one of his paintings at the height of his popularity. Four of the works donated to El Dorado Gold are smaller 14x14-inch gallery wraps depicting the Cary House, the Fox House, the Combellack House and the courthouse in Placerville. Ellenburg explained he thought it was important some of the paintings were ones that emphasized Kinkade’s connection to his hometown. The gallery also will donate a rare master’s edition print of a painting of the Golden Gate Bridge that bears Kinkade’s signature and his fingerprint, as well as a hand-drawn sketch of Kinkade’s iconic lamppost logo, on the back of the canvas. The master’s edition print was a ■ See DONATION, page A9
Editor
Responding to a complaint alleging a conflict of interest for El Dorado Hills Community Services District Directors Noelle Mattock and Ben Paulsen, three EDHCSD directors voted at this month’s meeting to initiate a formal investigation. Dean Getz, a frequent EDHCSD board meeting attendee and oftentimes critic, requested the investigation in early July. In his letter he claims both Mattock and Paulsen were aware that former EDHCSD General Manager Kevin Loewen, who resigned in December 2023, was working for district consultant DTA while also employed with the CSD. A report released earlier this year confirmed his employment and noted
NOELLE MATTOCK
BEN PAULSEN it was a clear conflict of interest and violation of CSD policy. ■ See CONDUCT, page A4
County leaders address Elections Dept. transparency, integrity Eric Jaramishian Senior staff writer
Before approving a response to the El Dorado County Grand Jury 202324 investigation on “Election Integrity: Separating Fact from Fiction,” supervisors were pleased to note the Grand Jury found recent election results were not “materially altered or rigged” thanks to the Election Department’s voting eligibility and voting tabulation procedures. The June 5 report states despite the current voting system in California not requiring identification to verify voter
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eligibility and identity, which could create “opportunity for individuals to introduce illegitimate votes,” the Elections Department is “doing a good job at minimizing this issue given constraints placed on it by the state.” During discussion of the Grand Jury’s report Aug. 13, the board lauded Registrar of Voters Bill O’Neill and his department’s efforts to ensure a clean, untampered voting and eligibility process. “We’ve long known that our Election Department has the utmost integrity and brings that to our local election process, but I think it is really gratifying
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to understand that the grand jury also finds and celebrates that,” said District 3 Supervisor Wendy Thomas, board chair. The report also states the new Elections Department building, located at 3883 Ponderosa Road in Shingle Springs, is “well-designed and efficient operation for managing high-volume elections while providing transparency to the public.” “The Registrar of Voters and staff are to be commended for the design of the headquarters, integration of the systems and the oversight capability provided,” the report reads.
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