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– Midweek Edition – VOLUME 174 • ISSUE 63 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2025
Mountain Democrat photo by Noel Stack
El Dorado County CAO Tiffany Schmid departs her position in mid-August.
CAO’s farewell comes with tears, questions Mountain Democrat photos by Shelly Thorenes
Noel Stack Editor
Well-wishes and thank yous brought departing El Dorado County Chief Administrative Officer Tiffany Schmid to tears on July 22, shortly after she announced her resignation. Her last day will be Aug. 15. Speakers lined up at that El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting to share their thoughts on her tenure and exit after two years as CAO. “Tiffany has always been honest and transparent and fair — trying to be fair to everybody,” shared Auditor-Controller Joe Harn. “She made a distasteful budget recommendation, which was not very popular, but that’s what CAOs do when the financial horizon indicates there’s going to be problems. “I wish everyone “I admire her for the guts it took to make that could see how recommendation,” he much heart and continued. “Tiffany was a pretty good CAO.” soul there is in Sheriff Jeff Leikauf the people who expressed his gratitude for Schmid’s ability to bring work for the departments together as county,” well as her professional — Tiffany Schmid demeanor, leadership and positive impacts. “Her effectiveness in fostering teamwork among diverse agencies led to tangible, well-balanced solutions to some of our county’s most pressing challenges,” Leikauf said. “Equally impressive has been her direct and transparent communication with department heads, particularly when navigating the complexities of a tight county budget. Tiffany never shied away from difficult conversations and concisely focused on building budgets that were both realistic and
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n See SCHMID, page A5
Marshall executives stand at the reception desk at the new Marshall El Dorado Hills clinic in the old Blue Cross building on Town Center Boulevard. The facility will open Aug. 25. On the left, Jonathan Russell, chief ambulatory officer. On the right, back to front, Derek Bogaard, executive director of Facilities and Support Services; Leann Hadgis, vice president of Ambulatory Clinical Operations; and Fernando Diaz, Marshall public information officer.
MARSHALL EDH ready to mend on the county’s west end
Shelly Thorene Staff writer
M
arshall acquired a 50,000square-foot former Blue Cross office building at 4201 Town Center Blvd. two years ago with the intent of expanding medical services to a growing westward population. The project is nearly complete and Marshall El Dorado Hills, the new 25,000-squarefoot healthcare facility, is slated to open Aug. 25. The clinic will be open to all residents of El Dorado County and offers sameday primary care appointments and, in the case of a broken bone or fracture, is an
The Center for Sports Medicine and Active Living at the new Marshall EDH clinic has an orthopedic staff who will treat patients with sports injuries, stroke victims and people who have had joint replacements. alternative to seeking care at an emergency room. “The roots of
Marshall Hospital are in Placerville but the county is changing and shifting farther
west. Our longstanding mission is n See MARSHALL, page A9
Supervisors stub out county tobacco ordinances Jo Carrerow
Mountain Democrat correspondent Facing a potential loss of hundreds of thousands in county sales tax revenue resulting from two current tobacco retail ordinances, El Dorado County Board of Supervisors last week voted to rescind both ordinances and develop a new regulations
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targeting smoke shops and setbacks from schools. “If the ordinance drives tobacco sales to other jurisdictions, sales and use tax revenue from service stations could decline $865,000 a year,” Planning and Building Department Director Karen Garner said. In 2024, service stations alone generated
Gold Mine
The
Published bi-monthly in the Mountain Democrat and Village Life
more than $2.6 million, per sales and use tax reports, Garner said. “And that is almost 14% of the county’s total sales and use tax in 2024,” Garner said. “Service stations are a huge economic generator for our county in terms of sales tax.” Other considerations were the livelihoods of service station owners and employees,
customer satisfaction and locality to schools. At the July 29 board meeting, Garner discussed local economic impacts since ordinance implementation after studies were done on two gas station/ convenience stores. “(We) estimated that those losses, based solely on products that are currently prohibited
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under this new TRL (tobacco retail license ordinance) … the first location is losing about $1,100 per month and the second location is losing about $1,600 per month,” Garner said. Additional losses due to prohibiting coupons and discount programs come in higher, with potential losses at about n See ORDINANCES, page A5
5.000%3.61 5.30% YEAR3.250 1515YEAR 3.250 3.61
HOME LOAN HOME LOAN
Fixed RateFixed Rate
Annual Percentage Annual Percentage Rate Rate
• ReÀ• nance Purchase ReÀnance PLACERVILLE Purchase PLACERVILLE 4040 ElRoad Dorado• 622-1492 Road • 622-1492 • 4040 El •Dorado
180180 Monthly per $1,000Borrowed Borrowed MonthlyPayments Payments of $7.91 $7.03 $1,000 180 Monthly Payments of $7.03 ofper $1,000per Borrowed
Check the El Dorado Advantage: Check the El Dorado Advantage:
PLACERVILLE • (Downtown) Main • 622-0833 PLACERVILLE • (Downtown) 247 Main247 • 622-0833
✓ No application ✓ No application fee fee W. PLACERVILLE l e Dr.Lawyer & Ray• Lawyer W. PLACERVILLE • Placervi•l ePlDr.acervi & Ray 626-3400• 626-3400 ✓ No prepayment ✓ No prepayment penalty penalty • 694 Val Plelasant Road • 626-5701 DIAMONDDIAMOND SPRINGSSPRINGS • 694 Pleasant ey RoadVall•ey626-5701 Local processing and servicing CAMERONCAMERON ✓ Local✓processing and servicing PARKCameron • 4060 Cameron Drive • 677-1601 PARK • 4060 Park DrivePark• 677-1601
PINESPony• 6462 PonyTrai Express Trail • 644-2363 POLLOCKPOLLOCK PINES • 6462 Express l • 644-2363 EL DORADO HILLSPark• 3963 Drive • 933-3002 EL DORADO HILLS • 3963 DrivePark• 933-3002 GEORGETOWN 193 • 333-1101 • 6310 Hwy.• 6310 193 Hwy. • 333-1101 Serving local over 54 years GEORGETOWN Member Member Serving our local our communities forEspanol over 54foryears Se communities Habla Habla Espanol 800-874-9779 Se HablaSeEspanol 800-874-9779
Maximum loan$417,000.00, $650,000, primary vacationresidence. residence. loan vacation Maximum Maximum loan $417,000.00, primary orprimary vacationororresidence. “Look For My Column On Page 3 Today!”20% 20%cash minimum downonpayment on purchase. equityonrequired on refiOther nance.loansOther loans under available underterms. different terms. minimum downcash payment purchase. 25% equity25% required refinance. available different
NMLSR ID 479256