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– Weekend Edition – VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 58 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2025
New EDC Veterans Monument criteria in place Jo Carrerow
Mountain Democrat correspondent The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors approved the Veterans Affairs Commission’s recommended revisions to the county Veterans Monument criteria on Tuesday — over objections by some local veterans who wanted the criteria to remain the same as it was originally written and voted on by the 2007 board. Revisions supported July 15 include changes to residency status required for inclusion in the monument, types of military honoraria offered, the definition of “hero” as it pertains to eligibility criteria for plaques and the appeals process for applications. Criteria modifications were a result
of a three-year process consisting of several meetings between county staff, veteran stakeholder groups and the public, as well as anonymous surveys, according to Timalyn Jaynes, assistant director of Human Services. Changes will ensure another incident doesn’t occur such as the one when, on July 27, 2021, supervisors heard an appeal regarding the placement of a bronze plaque honoring Capt. Paul Jacobs on the Veterans Monument Honor Wall, after it was already installed. District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin said it was “really awful” to participate in the appeal of Jacobs’ plaque placement.
Mountain Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene
■ See CRITERIA, page A4
Revised rules have been approved regarding who can be honored and where at the El Dorado County Veterans Monument in Placerville.
Lieutenant returns from County CAO is stepping down academy with reinforced skills Chris Woodard
El Dorado County Chief Administrative Officer Tiffany Schmid announced in a July 15 email that she plans leave the county, where she has worked for the last 11 years. Her last day will be Aug. 15. “I have recommended that Sue Hennike be placed into an acting role on Aug. 16 and TIFFANY SCHMID until my replacement is selected,” Schmid’s email notes. “The (Board of Supervisors) will consider that recommendation at a board meeting in the near future. “I thank you for all you do and for all of your support,” she concluded. “It has been a privilege to work with you!” Schmid began her career with the county in 2014 as a principal planner for the Community Development Agency before becoming a principal management analyst for the Chief Administrative Office in 2016. She would go on to serve as the director of the Planning and Building Department in 2018 before returning to the Chief Administrative Office. She was named an assistance CAO in November 2021. Supervisors appointed Schmid as CAO in June 2023. She filled the role as interim CAO the three months prior, following the departure of CAO Don Ashton.
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t. Eric Palmberg of the El Dorado County Sheriff ’s Office traded paperwork for schoolwork this summer, attending and graduating from the 294th session of the FBI’s National Academy. “It’s a 10-week program,” Palmberg said. “It takes place on the Quantico Marine Base in Virginia. That’s where they train their new agents and their analysts and their HRT, their hostage rescue team.” Palmberg completed 18 semester hours of coursework through the University of Virginia, including master’s-level classes in law enforcement leadership. “I took a collective community media class, which focused on communicating
Photo courtesy of EDSO
Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, Lt. Eric Palmberg and Undersheriff Bryan Golmitz, left to right, celebrate Palmberg’s completion of the FBI National Academy. appropriately,” he said. Palmberg said physical training is also
academy. Participants undergo daily fitness sessions that culminate
Brick Road,” a grueling 6-mile obstacle course ■ See PALMBERG, page A5
Lead cable removal project’s final phase planned for fall Katelyn Welsh Tahoe Daily Tribune
Courtesy photo
Crews have already removed miles of abandoned, lead-coated telephone cables from the bottom of Lake Tahoe. More will be pulled up this fall.
LAKE TAHOE — Project partners are returning to Baldwin Beach this upcoming fall to tackle the final phase of lead cable removal, pulling out the last 75 feet of the nearly 100 year old cable system. It’s the final leg of removal after a barge crew pulled around eight miles of cable from Lake Tahoe’s depths in November. The remaining length of cable runs from the sand on Baldwin Beach and into the land. Depending on the water level, the capped and enclosed end can be underwater. It marks where the project’s first phase stopped and the second phase will begin. The project required two different permits, which necessitated the two-part removal. The USDA Forest Service is the lead permitting agency on this final phase at
Baldwin Beach. Removal is currently scheduled for September or October. It was originally announced for spring 2025. According to U.S. Forest Service Special Uses/Lands Program Manager Karen Kuentz, the fall removal allows time for botanists to adequately survey the California endangered Tahoe yellow cress and to minimally impact the recreating public. Due to Lake Tahoe’s high level this year, Forest Service botanist Emma Williams explained the agency needs to wait until the fall, which is when the lake is at its low point, to be able detect as many Tahoe yellow cress plants as possible. The service will survey for Tahoe yellow cress plants in early September and transplant any plants that are found. If ■ See CABLE, page A5