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C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
Volume 170 • Issue 153 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Monday, December 27, 2021
Congressional redistricting
El Dorado County split Mountain Democrat staff
Mountain Democrat photos by Thomas Frey
Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit Capt. Nick Pimlott, left, and firefighter Joey White bring Christmas presents into New Morning Youth & Family Services’ Ashby House Dec. 22. It’s the 18th consecutive year Cal Fire has worked with New Morning to bring presents for youth staying at the shelter.
Delivering Christmas joy Thomas Frey Staff writer
n
See redistricting, page A7
DOT looks at growth on the West Slope
F
or 18 years the Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit has delivered toys and holiday joy to New Morning Youth & Family Services’ Ashby House in Placerville. The unit was joined by firefighters with the Cameron Park Fire Department and Diamond Springs-El Dorado Fire Protection District, who on Wednesday morning made trip after trip from their fire trucks to the Ashby House, putting presents under the youth shelter’s Christmas tree. “This is incredible. This is so amazing,” said New Morning Executive Director Victor Antonio.
SACRAMENTO — The 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission has approved final maps for the state’s congressional districts. The new district lines were revealed last week, showing, as draft maps reflected, that El Dorado County will no longer entirely be in Congressional District 4 but divided between Districts 3 and 5. District 3 will stretch from Warner Valley in Plumas County to the north, through Nevada and Placer counties and much of eastern El Dorado County, including the Tahoe Basin, and down to Inyo County on its southernmost edge. District 5’s north end appears to be just above Coloma, according to the commission’s final map, and from there covers Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties, along with parts of Stanislaus and Fresno counties to the south. The change puts Georgetown, Pollock Pines, Grizzly Flat and communities near those in District 3. El Dorado Hills, Shingle Springs, Placerville and Mt. Aukum are covered by District 5. The new district lines will be in effect for the 2022 election, leaving District 4 Republican incumbent Tom McClintock and Democratic challenger Dr. Kermit Jones to decide which
Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
Battalion Chief Mike Batham places Christmas presents under New Morning’s Christmas tree. The presents consisted of gifts for kids of all ages and were all donated by community members. Gift cards
and checks were also dropped off. “This event is important for us because the community
does a lot for us,” said Cal Fire AEU Fire Capt. Nick Pimlott. “We take pride in serving our community.”
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Firefighters from the Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit, Cameron Park Fire Department and Diamond Springs-El Dorado Fire Protection District, along with New Morning staff, gather for a group photos after the gift delivery.
El Dorado County West Slope growth factors became a major talking point at a Capital Improvement Program and Traffic Impact Fees workshop in the Board of Supervisors chambers Dec. 14. Department of Transportation Director Rafael Martinez and senior traffic civil engineer Natalie Porter led the conversation on the programs, providing information on both and recapping projected growth rates on the county’s West Slope. A Traffic Impact Fee program is used to fund road improvements, including road widening, new roadways and roadway intersections, among other improvements to accommodate future growth during a 20-year growth span. The fee is paid by developers. The Mountain Democrat previously reported that the program is estimated to bring in more than $322 million from 2020 to 2040. A Capital Improvement Program is a planning tool used by local governments to identify capital improvement projects intended to built over a certain time, 20 years for the county, including roadway improvements. Capital improvement programs provide information for each project, including schedules, cost and funding sources. Traffic Impact Fees help fund the improvement program, but are not the only funding source. In 2019 the board approved both housing and job projections presented by real estate consulting company BAE Urban Economics. The approved West Slope growth rates were 0.7% annually from 2018 to 2040 for a total of 9,174 new housing units (54,921 housing units existed n
See DOT, page A6
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