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Volume 171 • Issue 122 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Supes, Sierra Harm discuss drug use Eric Jaramishian Staff writer Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian
In an update to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors Oct. 11 the Sierra Harm Reduction Coalition reported giving out 99,000 syringes and receiving 108,000 in 2021 as part of its syringe exchange program. That collection rate is 108.8%, according to Director Tom Ewing. The return rate for this year is around 95%. “We are seeing a reduction in syringes on the West Slope and I whole-heartedly believe it is due to the actions of Sierra Harm Reduction Coalition,” Ewing said. The coalition gained 416 new clients last calendar year, noted Ewing, adding that 48% of those were housed while 52% were unhoused. In 2021 Sierra Harm Reduction Coalition also gave out 1,335 doses of naloxone to clients and reported 309 reversals of opioid overdoses. Some 2,328 fentanyl tests were distributed, of which 915 identified fentanyl, showing the presence of the deadly substance trending upward in the county. “It started rising in May of last year, then peaked in December with a 53% positive rate,” Ewing told supervisors. Ewing cofounded the coalition in 2019, a California Department of Public Health-authorized coalition, which provides a number of services countywide to residents who suffer from addiction. These services range from syringe exchange, in which the goal is to reduce the number of spreadable diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C, with an ultimate goal of educating substance abusers on the consequences of their usage and providing them with options to end their addictions. The coalition is required to provide a report to the county of its actions and the results of those actions. The county does not operate the coalition. Ewing’s presentation last week left the entire dais of supervisors concerned a coalition like Sierra Harm Reduction only makes matters worse in relation to
Grizzly Flat residents Marie Almeida, Tabatha Walker and Cathie Adams picket in front of the U.S. Post Office in Diamond Springs Oct. 13 in response to delayed action in constructing a new Grizzly Flat Post Office, which was destroyed in the Caldor Fire.
Signed, sealed but not delivered to Grizzly Flat Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
than a year now had to drive to the Diamond Springs Post Office to pick up their mail are questioning the delays in rebuilding a U.S. Postal Service facility. It’s about a 40-minute drive from Grizzly Flat to Diamond Springs, a bit more of a trek than a visit to the neighborhood post office.
The Grizzly Flat community is facing another hurdle in its effort to recover from the devastating Caldor Fire — lack of a post office. Residents of the fire-torn community who have for more
Courtesy photo
Rubble remains at the site of the Grizzly Flat Post Office.
On Thursday some residents picketed in front of the Diamond Springs Post Office on the corner of Pleasant Valley Road and Fowler Lane. One of the picketers, 73-yearold Grizzly Flat resident Cathie Adams, could be seen in a bear costume with a “Post Office for Grizzly” sign. Standing next to her, fellow Grizzly Flat resident Tabatha Walker’s protest signs read “How long must we bear it?” and “Symbol of recovery is our post office.” “It is a rather remote community and people are moving back, having gone through the permit process,” Adams commented. “However, the post office there is still a pile of rubble.” Congressman Tom McClintock’s staff told the Mountain Democrat they have received several inquiries from constituents on restoring postal service to the community. n
See Post office, page A3
n
See drug use, page A7
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Turn restriction pilot program called off Tahoe Daily Tribune SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The citizendeveloped, right-turn restriction pilot program in Meyers has not worked as officials had hoped and they will let it expire at the end of the month. The Labor Day holiday weekend provided officials with data that showed travel apps are still sending motorists into residential neighborhoods even though turn restrictions are in place, said El Dorado County officials during an online town hall meeting Monday. “It poses too much of a risk in winter months with the apps still sending people in those directions and will force a left-hand turn,” said El Dorado County Transportation
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Director Rafael Martinez. “And with limited visibility causing safety concerns, we (California Highway Patrol and Caltrans) felt it’s not appropriate to use in winter months.” On the September holiday weekend travel apps sent travelers through N. Upper Truckee Road to get to Highway 50. Transportation department officials said 1,191 vehicles used N. Upper Truckee between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to reach Highway 50 on Labor Day with 530 of those drivers illegally turning right. Two cars went straight and the other 659 turned left toward the roundabout. Even though drivers were required to turn left and negotiate the roundabout before heading west over Echo Summit
“We need to put a fire under the apps that are sending people down roads where it can lead to citations.” Sue Novasel, District 5 supervisor on Highway 50, it was still a couple of minutes faster than staying on the highway, according to the apps. “It’s not so much the volume but the congestion, which flips the apps to send drivers another direction,” Martinez said. “We unfortunately don’t think the way n
See Right Turns, page A2
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