C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
– Midweek Edition – VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 29 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025
‘AN IMMENSE WILDFIRE CRISIS’
The long season of wildfire awareness, predaredness kicks off
Andrew Vonderschmitt Features editor
A
t the kick off for the El Dorado County wildfire awareness season, upward of 20 representatives from state and local agencies convened on the back porch of the American Legion Hall in Placerville. The group had just come from a roundtable discussion, not open to the public, where they tackled the subject of wildfire preparedness or awareness, as the case may be. A unified strategy to wildfire preparedness, grassroots efforts
Georgetown Divide Fire Safe Council Chair and El Dorado County Fire Safe Council Grants Program Manager, Tamara Johnston speaks about grassroots efforts in shifting the culture of wildfire preparedness.
toward community resiliency and insurance concerns were top-of-mind topics. At the top of the press conference Cal Fire State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said Cal Fire crews had responded to more than 600 wildfires to date this year and praised El Dorado County for “being a role model in wildfire preparedness.” Berlant further commended the county for “an amazing job of bringing all of the partners together — local, state, federal and tribal.”
Mountain Democrat photo by Andrew Vonderschmitt
■ See WILDFIRE, page A5
County officials emerge as first opponents of new harm reduction legislation Chris Woodard Staff writer
Mountain Democrat photo by Noel Stack
Cal Fire firefighters make their way down the driveway after helping extinguish a garage and small wildland fire on Oak Terrace Road in Placerville Saturday afternoon.
Explosion rattles Placerville Noel Stack Editor
A garage explosion jolted Placerville residents Saturday afternoon, prompting an aggressive response from emergency personnel. Engines from the El Dorado County Fire Protections District, Diamond Springs-El Dorado Fire Protection District and Cal Fire, along with a water tender and ambulance, descended upon an Oak Terrace Road home around 12:30 p.m. The Engine 25 crew arrived first to find a garage “fully involved” with flames spreading to nearby woodland, according to EDCFPD Division Chief Paul Dutch. The property is heavily
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wooded, overlooking the American River Canyon. Flames scorched about a quarter of an acre before crews stopped the fire’s forward momentum roughly 15 minutes after arriving on scene, Dutch said. Neighbor Bryan Vyverberg was one of at least two people who called 911 after the incident. “I heard two explosions — a small one and a big one,” he told the Mountain Democrat. “I walked out and there was a large, black plume of smoke.” His call to 911 at 12:27 p.m. was the second to report the incident and Vyverberg said just minutes later he heard first responders arrive. “It all ■ See EXPLOSION, page A5
El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson and El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf released a joint press release to express opposition to Assembly Bill 1037 on April 3. AB 1037 aims to continue harm reduction efforts by expanding access to clean needles, naloxone and other drug testing tools and shift from abstinence mandates to patient-centered care. The bill was introduced by Assemblywoman Sade Elhawary, D-Los Angeles, on Feb. 20. “This legislation will continue to allow the victimization of El Dorado County and the state of California, as hypodermic needles, glass smoking pipes ‘meth/crack pipes’ and other similar drug paraphernalia are distributed without
VERN PIERSON
JEFF LEIKAUF
regard to the safety of the public,” states Sheriff Leikauf in the press release. “The passage of this legislation will only cause a further degradation to the quality of life in El Dorado County and the communities of California.” According to the press release, AB 1037, if passed, would reduce the power of local governments and restrict their ability to make decisions on the interests of their communities.
“Seventy percent of California voters supported Proposition 36 with the stated intent to move away from the decriminalization and continued use by addicts of hard-core drugs,” Pierson notes in the press release. “Harm reduction policy has failed this state.” Both Pierson and Leikauf were guests on the John McGinness Show on April 3 to speak about their opposition. McGinness, ■ See OPPOSITION, page A4
IN EDH Cityhood presentation sparks more conversations, debates Noel Stack Editor
Another incorporation presentation got more than 100 attendees talking last week about the possible pros and cons of El Dorado Hills becoming a city. Interested residents filled a Patra Corporation conference room and overflowed into the lobby area to listen to the El Dorado Hills Citizens for Cityhood presentation as well as information shared by El Dorado Local Agency Formation Commission Executive Officer Shiva
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Frentzen on April 3. EDHCC members Joe Chinn and Chris Nicholson shared an updated PowerPoint outlining incorporation benefits, similar to one first presented at the March 13 El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors meeting, where directors voted 4-0 to take the lead on this cityhood effort. Frentzen followed with a presentation about LAFCO’s role and a timeline. EDH cityhood proponents are aiming to get the incorporation question on the November 2026 ballot — an aggressive target considering the steps required.
“We’re not operating with a full municipal toolkit,” Nicholson said, referring to the limited scope of the EDHCSD’s operation. “City is a word that means local control.” Primary advantages of cityhood are more development oversight as well as additional funding for roads and public safety, proponents maintain. The incorporation process begins with an application to LAFCO — to be discussed and possibly approved by the EDHCSD ■ See CITYHOOD, page A5
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