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Volume 171 • Issue 101 | $1.00

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Monday, August 29, 2022

State phases out gas cars Nadia Lopez CalMatters New gasoline-powered cars will be banned in California beginning with 2035 models under a new groundbreaking regulation unanimously approved Thursday to force car owners to switch to zero-emission vehicles. In its biggest move yet to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change, the new rule approved by the state Air Resources Board culminates a decades-long effort to transform the auto and power industries and change the cars people drive — the state’s leading source of air pollution. The regulation is the first in the world to end the sale of traditional gas-powered vehicles and ramp up sales of cars powered by electricity. A small number of other states and nations have set only voluntary targets. The proposal was first unveiled in April. In response to several board members’ concerns, the staff made minor revisions Thursday to address issues related to electric car battery durability and added provisions to enhance assistance for lowincome residents. “This regulation is one of the most important efforts we have ever carried out to

clean the air,” said Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph. “Our previous regulations to make cars cleaner made improvements, but those improvements were incremental. This regulation will essentially end vehicle emissions altogether.” Automakers will have to gradually electrify their fleet of new vehicles, beginning with 35% of 2026 models sold, increasing to 68% in 2030 and 100% for 2035 models. As of this year, about 16% of all new car sales in California are zeroemission vehicles, twice the share in 2020. The millions of existing gas-powered cars already on the roads and used car sales are unaffected by the mandate, which only sets a zero-emission standard for new models. The switch to zeroemission vehicles marks a historic precedent that would ripple across the country, paving the way for other states, and perhaps countries, to follow. John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers, said automakers support the transition to electric cars, but called the timeline “very aggressive,” adding that it will be “extremely n

Tahoe Daily Tribune photo by Miranda Jacobson

Nevada Sen. Jackie Rosen, left, takes the stage to open the Tahoe Summit in Incline Village, Nev., Aug. 16.

Leaders convene in Tahoe to talk fire and climate Miranda Jacobson Tahoe Daily Tribune INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The 26th annual Tahoe Summit brought together local government, public agencies, activism groups and local residents to discuss progress and challenges in the Lake Tahoe Basin and the surrounding forests. The event was hosted Tuesday, Aug. 16, at Sand Harbor by Nevada Sen. Jackie Rosen and put together by a multitude of agencies. “I just want to take a moment to thank the many organizations, agencies and advocates who work tirelessly to make sure that Lake Tahoe remains the

See electric cars, page 7

Photo courtesy of League to Save Lake Tahoe

The League to Save Lake Tahoe was able to pick up trash on Sand Harbor prior to the start of the summit with Bebot, the beach trash collector. beautiful and spectacular place that it is,” Rosen told attendees. The event began with an address from Rosen, followed by an invocation from Washoe

Tribal Elder Dina Pete and a welcome from Washoe Chairman Serrell Smokey. n

See summit, page 3

Local startup hits the big time with a little button

Supes to get update on facilities plan I

Sel Richard Staff writer

Noel Stack Managing editor From a new juvenile hall to the jail expansion, El Dorado County has some big-ticket projects in the pipeline. Tuesday the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors will hear a presentation explaining the progress PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE

and challenges associated with updating and constructing new county facilities. The 2022-23 work plan lists capital projects totaling more than $82 million with an estimated $38 million funding gap. Also on the agenda, the supervisors are asked to adopt El Dorado County’s Mental Health Services Act annual update and authorize implementation of the 2022-23 projects within the update. Supervisor Lori Parlin has placed an item on the agenda recommending the board authorize a proclamation in recognition of Lest We Forget Day, in memory of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Open session of the Board of Supervisors meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the board chambers, 330 Fair Lane, Building A, Placerville. The meeting is also live-streamed via Zoom and YouTube.

magine yourself logged into a virtual classroom as the professor blurts out an inappropriate comment, unaware their computer is unmuted. You retort with an unfortunate remark, not realizing your own unmuted status. MuteMe co-founders Tye Davis and Parm Dhoot don’t have to imagine it, as their MuteMe device was borne of just such a gaffe. In the midst of COVID-19 shutdowns with its remote classrooms and meetings, their mute button idea became an item of necessity. Working furiously out of Dhoot’s garage, the El Dorado Hills based startup is getting noticed by some big guns. The cleanly designed, user-friendly button integrates seamlessly with all popular conference applications including Zoom, Webex, Teams, Skype and Google Meet. Users can customize colors, which change according to their mute status. The MuteMe button works whether or not the application window is showing and also offers a push to talk “walkietalkie” mode. “It doesn’t matter what program you launch, it detects when your microphone is being used,” said Dhoot, explaining that although many companies offer mute buttons, MuteMe is the only one that touts a double mute feature that works even during talk-to-text functions. “There’s a lot of research out there that says tech companies are actually listening to you even when you hit the mute button — like applications that tell you that you’re muted while you’re talking, which means it’s still listening to you,” Dhoot warned. “Not only is it listening to you, but it’s broadcasting your audio to their servers. We double mute you seamlessly. It gives you that extra sense of security.” Davis, Dhoot and their wives were all working from home when they began tossing around ideas for a mute button. “For us it was an indicator,” said

Courtesy photo

MuteMe co-founders Parm Dhoot and Tye Davis appear on “Shark Tank” Oct. 15, 2021. Davis of his family. Davis lacks a dedicated home office and wanted a way to let his wife and children know when he was in a meeting. Dhoot’s concerns centered around transition ease. “I needed a quick way to mute and unmute,” he said, admitting that he has often been caught taking notes and scrambling to unmute when asked a question. In September 2020 Dhoot, who has a history of concocting inventions on his home 3D printer, spooled out a prototype. He and Davis launched their first iteration on Kickstarter, raising $150,000 in just three weeks. After raising an additional $150,000 through Indiegogo, MuteMe was approached by Staples, which agreed to distribute their button nationwide. However, Davis admits the product was not a success. “People didn’t know what it was,” he said, n

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