Mountain Democrat, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026

Retired band teacher accused of sex crimes

Noel Stack Editor

The Oak Ridge High School community and beyond is in shock after El Dorado County sheri ’s o cials announced the arrest of Paul Varo . The band teacher directed young musicians for more than three decades and now stands accused of sex crimes against a minor.

On the morning of Jan. 26, EDSO detectives arrested Varo , who faces five counts of oral copulation of a person younger than 18 and five counts of sexual penetration of a person younger than 18. Varo was booked into the El Dorado County Jail, where he is being held without bail.

Supes mull cannabis rules amendments

Noel Stack Editor

Rules are rules, and those in the commercial cannabis industry could face stricter rules if they want a permit to operate in El Dorado County.

Earlier this month the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors, on a 4-1 vote, supported a resolution of intention to amend the Commercial Cannabis Ordinance, asking sta to consider removing language that currently allows exceptions to the

Coscto report out for review

Noel Stack Editor

The El Dorado County Planning and Building Department – Planning Division has released the proposed El Dorado Hills Costco project draft environmental impact report. This DEIR is available for public and agency review through March 23. The purpose of this comment period is to consider the content of the DEIR and the potential environmental impacts that may result from project implementation. Comments pertaining to the environmental impact analysis, criteria and thresholds, mitigation measures and alternatives presented in the DEIR will be considered by the county during preparation of the

PLACE ADDRESS LABEL

The El Dorado County District Attorney’s O ce has filed the case, and Varo is set to be arraigned at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, in El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville.

The criminal complaint alleges that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2023, Varo engaged several times in unlawful sex acts with an unidentified minor at the youth’s Sacramento County home. The complaint also alleges Varo committed an act of sexual penetration against J. Doe in the defendant’s o ce at school sometime between Jan. 1 and Feb, 28, 2023, and two other alleged o enses occurred after a birthday celebration for Varo in the summer of 2023.

The complaint further notes: “As

to all felony charges in the aboveentitled charging document, the People hereby further allege the following facts and circumstances in aggravation:

“Factors relating to the crime, whether or not charged or chargeable as allegations include that:

“The victim was particularly vulnerable;

“The manner in which the crime was carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism;

“The defendant took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the o ense.”

Varo retired from his position at the El Dorado Hills high school

Main Street fire prompts swift response

Shelly Thorene

The downtown Placerville lunch rush was interrupted by smoke, prompting a heavy and immediate response from local fire agencies Monday afternoon.

El Dorado County Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Andrew Lemos said firefighters were dispatched at 12:06 p.m. on Jan. 26 after heavy black smoke was seen near Highway 50 behind a business on Main Street, which is filled with historical buildings tightly packed together. Main Street was closed at Sacramento Street and Bedford Avenue while surrounding businesses were evacuated.

Powell’s Steamer Co. owner Sheila Kelly told the Mountain Democrat she and Kelly Thayer saw thick black smoke billowing out from the nearby business. She made the call

Norman Anthony Krizl

Feb. 13, 1961 – Jan. 6, 2026

Norman Krizl, age 64, passed away suddenly on January 6 after a brief illness at UCSF hospital in San Francisco with his beloved wife at his side. He is survived by his loving wife Kathy, sisters Maria (Paul) Grimm and Irene Carruthers, brother-in-law Chris (Anne) Kerri, and numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. He loved them so much, and was greatly loved in return.

Norman was born on February 13, 1961, in San Francisco, and moved to Sacramento in 1965. He graduated from Sacramento High School in 1979, and received a BS in Forestry from UC Berkeley in 1985. He married his high school sweetheart Kathy in 1986, and they returned to Sacramento.

Norman and Kathy moved to Garden Valley in 1992 after Norman got a job with the U.S. Forest Service in Georgetown. He worked as a forester until 2003 when he started working full time tending the vines in Krizl Vineyard.

Norman served as president of the El Dorado County Farm Bureau and the Georgetown Divide Rotary Club. He was elected to the GDPUD Board of Directors, and was president of the EDC Ag Water Quality Coalition at the time of his death.

Norman loved taking care of the vineyard, cutting firewood, working at ‘the cabin,’ hosting bonfires with lots of barbequing and smoking meat. Norman loved traveling and spending time with friends and family. He touched so many lives, and will be greatly missed by all who were privileged to have known him.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 31 at 1 p.m. at the Georgetown IOOF Hall, 6240 Main Street, Georgetown, CA. All who knew him are welcome to eat, drink, and share stories. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia Society of America).

Jack Howard Nissen

Oct. 7, 1943 – Jan 6, 2026

Jack Howard Nissen, 82, of Placerville, CA. passed away unexpectedly January 6, 2026.

Jack was born October 7, 1943 to Jack and Ann Nissen in Sacramento, CA. After graduating from Sacramento High School in 1961, Jack went on to earn a degree in psychology at San Francisco State. Jack went on to study law at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, CA graduating in 1976. In 1978, first practice as an attorney was with Hefner, Stark & Marois after which he went into private practice in 1978.

Jack was very involved in community service and served as chairman for 10 years at the county bar and fee arbitration committee. For many years he was a leader for the local chapter of the Sacramento SPCA.

In 2008, Jack retired and spent his time focusing on several hobbies, namely photography and woodworking. His work was on display at several local galleries.

Jack was preceded by his father Jack, mother Ann and several cousins. He is survived by his sister Patricia Miller, brother-in-law Jerry Miller, nephew Todd Miller, and former wife Debra Nissen.

A memorial service will be held at Green Valley Mortuary Friday February 27, 2026 at 1 pm. In lieu flowers, the family requests donations be made to Sacramento SPCA and Fat City Kitty.

Robert James

Hendrickson

May 25, 1930 – Oct 27, 2025

Robert “Bob” James Hendrickson, a longtime resident of Shingle Springs, California, passed away on October 27, 2025, at UC Davis Medical Center. Born on May 25, 1930, in Stambaugh, Michigan, Bob grew up in nearby Caspian. He attended Stambaugh High School. A celebration of life is being planned for January 28th at the Shingle Springs Community Center.

Sunday wreck leaves driver hanging

Shelly Thorene Sta writer

A quick swerve landed a driver in a precarious position on Mosquito Road Sunday afternoon. Heading up a switchback just north of the Mosquito Bridge,

68-year-old Luz Brown of Placerville suddenly veered right and lost control of her gray GMC Sierra at around noon on Jan. 25, according to information provided by the California Highway Patrol – Placerville. The truck landed on its right front fender against the hillside in a

vertical position.

CHP O cer Andrew Brown confirmed there were no passengers in the vehicle and said the driver had no complaints of pain or injury upon rescue. CHP is still trying to ascertain why the driver swerved to the right, he added.

Public review now open for Placerville affordable housing zoning amendment

Andrew Vonderschmitt Features editor

The city of Placerville has released a notice of intent to adopt a mitigated negative declaration for a proposed land use and zoning change aimed at expanding a ordable housing opportunities within city limits.

This Housing Opportunity Overlay focuses on a 2.36-acre undeveloped parcel located at 201 New Morning Court in Placerville. The site, identified as Assessor’s Parcel No. 325-240-016, lies at the intersection of New Morning Court and Ray Lawyer Drive along its southern boundary.

Under the proposal, o cials would amend the city’s General Plan and zoning map to apply the Housing Opportunity Overlay to the parcel. The change would shift the property’s designation from Commercial to Commercial-Housing Opportunity and allow for the development of up to 56 multifamily dwelling units at a density of 20-24 units per acre.

At least half of the units would be designated as a ordable housing, including a minimum of 30% reserved for very low-income households and 20% for low-income households. City o cials say the project supports Placerville’s 2021–29 Housing Element by increasing the supply of high-density a ordable housing.

The city has prepared an initial study and

The following was taken from PPD reports: Dec. 22

10:06 a.m. Battery was reported at a bar on Broadway.

Dec. 23

11:16 a.m. Battery was reported at a gas station on Main Street.

2:05 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Main Street.

2:29 p.m. Petty theft was reported on Placerville Drive.

4:06 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a grocery store on Placerville Drive.

Dec. 24

12:50 p.m. Vandalism was reported at an apartment complex on Coloma Court.

3:03 p.m. Battery was reported on Rosier Street.

5:33 p.m. O cers booked into jail a person suspected of being under the in uence of a controlled substance and violating a postrelease community supervision on Main Street. They were listed in custody.

Dec. 26

11:29 a.m. Battery was reported on Marshall Way.

12:20 p.m. Petty theft was reported on Pleasant Street.

Dec. 27

is proposing to adopt a mitigated negative declaration, concluding that potential environmental impacts associated with the project can be reduced to less-than-significant levels through mitigation measures.

A 30-day public review period is scheduled through Feb. 21. Written comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Feb. 21.

The Placerville Planning Commission is expected to hold a public hearing on the project at 6 p.m. on March 3 at Town Hall council chambers, 549 Main St. Virtual participation options may be available, and the city recommends checking its website for updates.

Project documents are available for public review at the Development Services Department, 3101 Center St., Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and online at cityofplacerville. org/environmental-documents and the State Clearinghouse CEQA database, ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/ Search/Recent.

Comments should specify the basis for any concerns regarding potential environmental impacts and may be submitted to Carole Kendrick, development services director of the of Placerville Development Services Department, (530) 642-5252 or by email at ckendrick@cityofplacerville.org.

All comments received during the public review period will be considered and responded to prior to any action on the project.

shopping center on Placerville Drive.

1:05 a.m. Vandalism was reported on Marshall Way.

2:47 p.m. Petty theft was reported at a food co-op on Placerville Drive.

Dec. 29

1:22 p.m. Petty theft was reported at a gas station on Broadway.

2:22 p.m. Battery was reported on Davis Court.

8:07 p.m. Battery was reported at an apartment complex on Coloma Court. An arrest was made.

Dec. 30

2:56 p.m. Burglary was reported at a facility on Manor Drive.

6:22 p.m. Burglary to vehicle was reported at a gas station on Forni Road.

Dec. 31

2:09 p.m. Vandalism was reported on Broadway.

3:50 p.m. Battery was reported at a restaurant on Broadway.

4:02 p.m. Grand theft was reported on Woodman Circle.

4:34 p.m. Battery was reported on Highway 50 and Bedford Avenue.

Jan. 1

5:30 p.m. Trespassing was reported at a

6:48 p.m. Petty theft was reported at a grocery store on Placerville Drive.

10:26 p.m. Battery was reported at the hospital on Marshall Way.

Jan. 2

5:54 p.m. Battery was reported on Bond Court.

Jan. 3

1:06 a.m. Trespassing was reported at a grocery store on Placerville Drive.

12:58 p.m. Battery was reported at the shelter on Fair Lane.

3:24 p.m. A person allegedly drunk in

Jan.

Jan.

IN

CAMERON PARK

KB Home unveils wildfire-prepared

Chris Woodard Staff writer

KB Home marked a milestone in Cameron Park on Jan. 22 with the unveiling of Stone Canyon, a new housing development designated as the first wildfire-prepared community in Northern California and only the second of its kind in the state.

The limited collection of single-story homes has achieved the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s Wildfire Prepared Home Plus designation at both the individual home and community levels. The designation recognizes developments that incorporate research-based design standards intended to reduce wildfire risk before fires ever reach structures.

Stone Canyon was a project led by the Sacramento Division President of KB Home Nam Joe.

Each residence includes noncombustible exterior materials such as stucco siding and fiber cement board, class A fire-resistant roofing, dual-pane tempered windows, enclosed eaves, emberresistant vents and covered gutters. The homes also feature a 0- to 5-foot Zone 0 buffer around each structure, landscaped with crushed rock instead of combustible materials.

“The data tell us that outcomes are shaped long before the fires ever reach homes,” IBHS President and CEO Roy Wright said. “We’re not going to stop the next ignition necessarily, but there are ways to

EDH Fire Impact Fees on the rise

Noel Stack Editor

Developers and individuals pulling building permits within the boundaries of the El Dorado Hills Fire Department’s jurisdiction will soon see changes to the fees they must pay.

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved EDH Fire’s updated Fire Impact Fee nexus study and a new fee schedule, which will take effect 60 days after the county resolution’s date of adoption, Jan. 6. EDH Fire Chief Michael Lilienthal told supervisors the district understands the importance of mitigating impacts created by new development. Addressing the fee increases, Lilienthal noted the rising costs of firefighting equipment.

“A new truck right now costs about $1.5 million and a new engine is $1 million,” the fire chief said. “Looking back a few years, and it’s almost double what it was.”

The rising cost of land is also addressed in the nexus study.

“For the fire agencies, this is an important study for us, just to keep pace with growth as it comes in and the impacts that are created by that,” Lilienthal continued. “The new development for us, especially in El Dorado Hills, is super important. We are watching what’s coming and the impacts.”

A staff report in

the board’s meeting packet notes, “The California Mitigation Fee Act authorizes the establishment of fees to offset the impacts of new development on public facilities, ensuring that service levels are maintained as growth occurs.”

Because special districts like the fire department lack the authority to impose mitigation fees independently, the county must ultimately establish the fee. The Planning and Building Department collects the fees on their behalf and deposits revenue into separate, dedicated accounts for each district. EDH Fire has collected the Fire

Impact Fee since 1985. This most recent nexus study was completed by SCI Consulting Group. The staff report explains, “To calculate the fee using this method, the current level of service is first determined by dividing the total value of existing fire protection facilities by the current service population to establish a per capita facility standard. Then, projected population and employment growth from new development are estimated and multiplied by the per capita standard to find the total cost

Dental

However, to really get at the source of bad breath, it is necessary to look at the bacteria on the tongue that produce the malodorous substances known as “volatile sulfur compounds.” While most people pay the requisite amount of attention to ridding their teeth and gums of bacteria through regular brushing and flossing, few think to include their tongues in their oral hygiene regimens. By scraping their tongues every day with a tongue scraper, those who are regularly plagued by bad breath can go a long way toward eliminating the problem at its source. Call us today to schedule your first professional cleaning of 2014. Good oral hygiene is important, not only for

looks, but for general health as well. Poor oral hygiene can lead to a variety of dental and medical problems, such as gum disease, infection, bone loss, heart disease, strokes and more. Regular checkups and cleanings can prevent these problems, as well as provide you with good oral hygiene. You can count on us for family-oriented dental care. We’re currently accepting new patients. We offer “Tooth Print,” which is an impression of a child’s full mouth. About the size of a small wafer, the impression is given to the parent/guardian for the family album or for ID for a missing child.

P.S. “Dry mouth,” which is a condition produced by some medications and is a side effect of some diseases, can contribute to bad breath by depriving the teeth and gums of cleansing saliva.

OPINION

California Matters

Newsom wants to overhaul state oversight of schools. Will students really see benefits?

Gavin

ov.

GNewsom dropped a brief and vaguely worded section into his State of the State address earlier this month, suggesting an overhaul of how California’s vast public education system is managed.

“It’s long overdue that we modernize the management of our educational system,” Newsom said, “and so in the budget I’ll be submitting tomorrow, I’m proposing that we unify the policymaking by the State Board of Education and the Department of Education, allowing the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to align our education policies from early childhood through college.”

The budget’s passage on this was longer, but still failed to explicitly say what Newsom had in mind.

The proposal cited two reports that bemoaned the multiple, often overlapping and sometimes competitive, state and local entities that govern the schools. One was California’s so-called Master Plan for Education, published in 2002, and the other was from Policy Analysis for California Education, or PACE, a multiuniversity think tank, that had been issued just weeks earlier.

The budget proposed to “move oversight authority of the management of” the state Department of Education and local districts under the California Board of Education.

It’s apparent that Newsom’s administration had been laying the groundwork for the power shift — or power grab — long before the State of the State address.

Thus, without saying so directly, Newsom would strip the elected state superintendent of schools of managerial authority over the state Department of Education, relegating the o ceholder to an ombudsman or advisor. Management would be vested in the Board of Education, which is appointed by the governor, and an appointed executive director.

“These changes will strengthen governance of California’s education system to provide coherence and meaningful accountability to address the needs of students, parents, teachers, school sta , and administrators,” the budget proposal declared.

■ See WALTERS, page A5

Letters to the Editor

An exceptional resource

EDITOR:

Irecently re-discovered the great community resources available in Placerville at the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College and want to make sure others know these places are open to all people, not only college students.

The library at our local community college is a gem of a space for learning that is open to the community, but many folks I speak to do not realize it is right here in Placerville, 6699 Campus Drive o Missouri Flat Road. Any community member who needs a quiet space to work or read Monday to Friday is welcome. Wireless internet is available if you ask for a guest code. If you would like to check out items from the library, you can join the Friends of the Library for $30 (alumni and those younger than 18 join for $15).

The El Dorado Center recently marked its 40th year — 30 of them at its current location. The library is an amazing resource open to the community with only a small parking fee.

I have talked with many people who want to take a class; try it out right in Placerville! I encourage anyone wanting to take a class, or to look into a certificate or associate’s degree, to look at flc.losrios.edu and see what Folsom Lake College and the El Dorado Center have to o er — both in-person and online. I have taken excellent classes there myself and think others will enjoy it as well.

TIM C.R. KENDALL Placerville

Future is bright

EDITOR:

Iwas picking up scrap wood from a business in town where they make things to last. My partner, Mike Hunt, worked here when he was a student at the college which was then behind Raley’s. I had time to worry about the state of the world.

■ See LETTERS, page A5

The Rural Life

Grow old like Dick Van Dyke, still dancing at 100

Have you seen Dick Van Dyke lately? The actor who charmed us as the chimneysweep Bert in “Mary Poppins” and the goofball Rob in “The Dick Van Dyke Show” is still alive and even kicking — at 100. His secret?

“Keep moving.” That’s the answer he gave in 2015 while “only” 89, “an age when getting up and down from your chair on your own is considered an accomplishment,” he said.

Now, after turning 100 last month, he’s promoting his latest book, “100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life.” Because this is a topic dear to my heart, I bought his book plus researched all I could about his approach to see what I could learn. Predictably, the new book again stresses the importance of physical activity — and he’s talking the real thing, as in going to the gym three

days a week for circuit training plus yoga and stretching on the other days.

“The doctors can’t believe it when I touch my toes,” he told Jancee Dunn for a recent article in the New York Times newsletter Well. Van Dyke racks up a lot of incidental movement, too, Dunn reports, like busting out in a little soft-shoe dance whenever he feels like it, which is often.

My husband and I have a (somewhat) consistent exercise routine, so I was more interested to learn what else keeps Van Dyke so spry and joyful as a centenarian. What I’ve learned is that if stay active is the lion’s share of his advice, the rest might be summarized as lighten up — a goal I’ve been working on myself with only modest success for going on 30 years now.

So how does he do it?

“As I get older,” he writes, “I have

But if singing just isn’t your thing, Van Dyke also recommends humming which, like singing, is a mood-booster and even has unexpected physical bene ts ...

found that life is more and more a comedy of errors. So if you can’t laugh at yourself, you’ve got big problems.”

Hmm. So instead of scolding myself, I should be poking fun instead? I like that.

The actor relies on his innate sense of playfulness, a quality apparent in most of the characters he’s brought to life over the years — think Rob Petrie tripping over the ottoman in the opening credits of his popular TV show.

Indeed, he finds unapologetic silliness an all-purpose remedy.

“No matter my mood, no matter my pain, a good little joke will boost my spirits,” he writes. “And the more I laugh, the more I’m lifted — if I’m lucky, maybe, right up into the air!”

That last quip is a reference to the scene in “Mary Poppins” where laughter floats Bert and the Banks children right up to the ceiling. Which

reminds me how much I like that scene’s accompanying song, “I Love to Laugh.” Hmm … maybe a good tune to keep handy for when a mood needs boosting? (Or I suppose I could check my earlier column on this topic, “Laughing It O .”)

Van Dyke points out that pets are a natural way to add hilarity to your life. One time, when his dental plate was still missing even after a frantic search, he and his wife, actress Arlene Silver, feared perhaps he’d somehow swallowed it. Panic ensued, but it turned out the family dog, Bootsy Poppins, had snatched the denture and was gnawing on it.

Ewwww! I’m not sure I can count that as hilarious. Yet Van Dyke’s response was to laugh it o and add it to his collection of amusing anecdotes.

■ See FORSBERG MEYER, page A8

The current superintendent, former state legislator Tony Thurmond, complained that he was not consulted about what would be a major overhaul of responsibility for a system that serves nearly 6 million students and is the largest single portion of the state budget.

“This governance proposal doesn’t establish any structures proven to move the needle on student outcomes,” Thurmond, who is running for governor, said, “and instead shifts authority to implement

TK-12 education programs away from the o cial who California voters have elected to lead our state’s public schools.”

It’s apparent that Newsom’s administration had been laying the groundwork for the power shift — or power grab — long before the State of the State address. The PACE report issued in December was part of the process. It called for exactly what Newsom proposes.

“California’s education governance system is a

complex network of agencies and entities designed to serve the most diverse and expansive TK–12 population in the United States,” the PACE report declared. “This system incorporates state, regional, and local levels of authority, each tasked with specific responsibilities and oversight. At its core, the structure seeks to balance statewide education goals with local control and accountability.

“However, its complexity often results in overlapping responsibilities, fragmented authority, and challenges in ensuring streamlined decisionmaking.”

PACE issued a statement backing the change from Michael Kirst, the state’s foremost academic authority on education and architect of the school finance overhaul, the Local Control Funding Formula enacted in 2012 under then-Gov. Jerry Brown. Kirst called it “a new vision and a dramatic overhaul” that would address a 19th century governance structure.

“The lack of fundamental change since then has hindered education progress,” he said.

Politics aside, Newsom’s proposal would streamline governance that is now opaque and fragmented, and shields the system’s many points of authority from accountability. However, by vesting almost total authority in the governor and his or her appointees, it will be more di cult for a governor to escape accountability if educational achievement, which now languishes, doesn’t markedly improve.

Dan Walters is a journalist and author who writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Letters Continued from A4

I looked at the young men who were really working. They seemed to be cut from the same cloth, as the saying goes. And that seemed to be very fine indeed. Things were looking better. These fellows put me in mind of the poem about the calvary charge that, beyond all odds, saved the sum of things, but without the casualties. Not that I wanted to put that obligation on the young men. I just thought they could do it.

It looked like they had the right teachers, too. These men drive those impossible loads to where futures are built.

I’ve been worried about my contribution. Maybe it is to see the future, and to say that it has to be good.

ELIZABETH CAFFREY Placerville

Announcements

AL-ANON is here for you if you are bothered by someone else’s drinking. Call for meeting times. (916) 3342970. https://sacal-anon.blogspot.com

AMERICAN ASSOC. OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN Foothills of EDC Branch. Our mission is to advance gender equity for women & girls. Science and Math Camp Scholarships, programs & interest groups. Leave voicemail for Laurel (530) 417-7737 or Sara (530) 4177138 eldorado-ca.aauw.net

CAMERON PARK NEWCOMERS

CLUB meets the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 at the Light of the Hills Lutheran Church, 3100 Rodeo Rd., CP, 95682. New and current local community members are welcome for fun and games throughout the month. For further information contact Jill Butler at 530-295-7448.

El DORADO COUNTY AMATEUR

RADIO CLUB Dedicated to all aspects of ham radio. Meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month at the El Dorado Sheriff’s office, 200 Industrial Drive, Placerville, 6:30 pm. Visitors and non-hams welcome. Info at www.edcarc.net

PLAY CRIBBAGE

Join the Gold Country CribbersWe Play - We Teach - We Have Fun Wednesdays 4:00 PM Gilmore Senior Center 990 Lassen Lane, El Dorado Hills, CA 916-212-2465 or 916-768-4452

Struggling with life? CELEBRATE

RECOVERY is for any Hurt, Habit or Hang-up. We are a faith-based recovery program for life’s issues and struggles. Join us Thursday nights at 6:30pm at Green Valley Church, 3500 Green Valley Rd, Placerville. Doors open at 6:15pm. Children’s programs are available for ages 3 months to 18 years old. Email: celebrate@greenvalley.church. Find us on Facebook: https://m.facebook. com/crgvcc/ DEMOCRATS – Come meet with the United Democrats of El Dorado County at Round Table Pizza–Missouri Flat Rd. in Placerville at noon on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Call (530)391-6414 or see edcdems.org for more information.

GOLD RUSH CHORUS now welcomes both men and women to share the joy of singing four-part harmony in the barbershop style. To learn more or to book a performance, call Howard at (530) 647-6513 or Kent (530) 651-3575

HANGTOWN WOMEN’S TENNIS CLUB: Come play tennis for fitness, fun & friendship. Meet at El Dorado HS tennis courts on Acacia St., Placerville, Wednesdays 9-11 except June -August, hours 9-11. Social activities & monthly tennis clinics. Some tennis ability required. Call Trisha 530-651-8121.

MONDAY CLUB BRIDGE seeks more players. The club is a very informal, friendly group and invites interested men and women party bridge players to join. The club meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at Denny’s Restaurant on Fair Lane in Placerville at 10:00 am.

Addiction or Relationship problem? Call 530 231-7728 our free counseling can help you. Positive Realism, 3430 Robin Ln., Cameron Park. Meet first and third Wednesday of every month, 7pm. Come and enjoy a paid lunch with the Retired Public Employees Association (RPEA) for CalPERS retirees and spouses.The meetings are held at 11:30 AM on May 19, July 21, September 15 and November 17, 2025 at Denny’s (3446 Coach Lane) Cameron Park. Call 530 919 7515 for programs and information.

SENIOR PEER COUNSELING Seniors 55 and over who are grieving, depressed or having issues related to aging can meet one-on-one with a caring senior, professionally supervised and trained to listen and encourage. Call (530)621-6304 to leave a message and get started.

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The Mountain Democrat’s Newspapers in Education program (NIE) was established in 2002 to provide and educational service arm for the newspaper.

NIE’s goal is to assist schools, teachers and parents in developing future readers who can use the newspaper to enrich their own lives and participate responsibly in their community, state and nation.

Not only does the Mountain Democrat provide valuable information on a wide range of topics daily, it also can be used as a resource for teaching numerous skills to various age groups and in many different disciplines. It helps students connect classroom lessons to the real world around them and develop a positive and

relevant lifetime reading habit. A study released by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation shows data indicating students in NIE programs do 10 percent better on standardized tests and that significant increases in student performances occur, especially in middle schools.

Donations from our sponsors allow our educators to order the newspaper for their classrooms free of charge. These sponsorships contribute to literacy and allow thousands of teachers and students in El Dorado County to learn from a living textbook, the Mountain Democrat, and develop a life-long reading habit that will benefit them throughout their lives.

Please show these sponsors your support for the program by patronizing their businesses.

Call 530-344-5048 to become a sponsor.

Alpine racers return to the slopes

Volek

The South 1 Division of the CNISSF had more than 200 racers from Amador & Argonaut, Bret Harte, El Dorado, Oak Ridge, Ponderosa and Union Mine competing in the alpine (ski and snowboard) racing on Jan. 21 at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

High school racers were at Bear Valley on Monday, Jan. 26, and are scheduled to be back at Sierra-at-Tahoe on Feb. 2.

The top 3 finishers as well as other racers and team results for the Jan. 21 competition are below.

Women’s Varsity Ski 1st — Marley Garner, AAA, with a combined time of 1:13.00 2nd — Mareika Delmolino, ED, with a combined time of 1:14.42

3rd — Kenan Dragomanovich, BH, with a combined time of 1:16.31

Top finisher by

remaining South 1 schools: 4th — Emma Campbell, OR, with a combined time of 1:17.06 17th — Brynn Smith, UM, with a combined time of 1:29.55 18th — Camryn Scroggins, PHS, with a combined time of 1:26.7

Team scores: OR, 377 ED, 368 PHS, 340 UM, 319

BH, 192 AA, 100 Men’s Varsity Ski 1st — Skyler Schlavin, ED, with combined time of 1:11.91

2nd — AdrianHirsbrunnerReist, ED, with a combined time of 1:13.09 3rd — Bryce Reid, ED, with a combined time of 1:15.14

Fast start hurts Trojan hoops

Mike Bush Mountain Democrat correspondent

Two Oak Ridge High School boys basketball players produced doubledigits in Friday’s Sierra Foothill League game against Folsom High School’s squad.

The Trojans outscored their rivals in the Bulldogs in the final 16 minutes of the game. But Folsom struck early and often in the first half. That led to the Bulldogs posting an 85-63 win over Oak Ridge (3-4 in the SFL, 12-9 overall).

Gavyn Hoenig, a senior guard, scored more than half the Trojans’ points at 33, plus four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Forward Lucas Cutler, a sophomore, followed with 11 points and seven rebounds. Front court player Dylan Slinger finished with seven points and four rebounds.

Oak Ridge outscored Folsom (8-0 in the SFL, 17-5) by a 43-42 margin in the second half.

“We played a lot better in (the) second half,” said Oak Ridge head coach Marcus Bray. “We were a lot more aggressive both offensively and defensively in second half.”

But the Bulldogs displayed to the

Trojans and the many fans in the stands why they are undefeated in league action.

Thanks to forcing numerous turnovers at midcourt in the first quarter, Folsom jumped out to a 19-6 lead. The Trojans were also guilty of missing almost half of their shots, mostly in the paint.

The Bulldogs continued to roll in the second quarter, which was almost a repeat of the opening quarter. By halftime, Folsom outscored Oak Ridge again 24-14 for a comfortable 43-20 lead en route to the win.

Parks Weaver was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer with 14 points and teammate Joven Dulay followed with 10 points.

Oak Ridge 78, Granite Bay 64

On Monday, Oak Ridge, which had lost its last four games, got back on the winning track against the Grizzlies. The Trojans hosted this contest.

Upcoming games

On Wednesday, the Trojans are at Rocklin for an SFL game at 7:30 p.m. This Friday, Oak Ridge travel into Yolo County to play the Davis High squad. This contest has a tipoff at 7 p.m.

PERFECT IN LEAGUE

Rolling Hills claims championship in thriller against Camerado Springs

Ricky Mehta

Special to the Mountain Democrat

The Rolling Hills Middle School eighth-grade boys’ basketball team reached the pinnacle of the Foothill Athletic League on Dec. 11, capturing the league championship with a hardfought victory over Camerado Springs Middle School.

Coached by Michael Johnson, the Rolling Hills squad demonstrated remarkable teamwork and resilience to emerge at the top of a competitive seven-team field. The league featured strong programs from Folsom, Marina Village, Mills, Mitchell and Sutter middle schools, but the final showdown came down to a battle between the topseeded Rolling Hills and a determined Camerado Springs team.

Legacy of winning

This championship victory was years in the making. Much of the core roster first tasted success together as part of the Oak Meadow Elementary fifth-grade basketball team, which won its own championship in 2023. That championship DNA was strengthened by the addition of players from Silva

Continued from A6

Top finisher by remaining South 1 schools:

4th — Graham Aronowitz, OR, with a combined time of 1:15.63

12th — Kyle Dahigren, PHS, with a combined time of 1:23.81

16th — Austin Wedge, AA, with a combined time of 1:27.91

19th — Trey Hamby, UM, with a combined time of 1:30.64 Team scores: ED, 386 OR, 382 PHS, 324 AA, 324 UM, 314 Women’s Varsity Snowboard

1st — Audrey Kersey, PHS, with a combined

Valley Elementary, who were major participants in that 2023 title game.

After several seasons of growth and development, these former rivals and teammates unified under Coach Johnson to dominate the eighth-grade circuit. The chemistry forged during those elementary school years to eighth grade was evident on the court as Rolling Hills utilized a stifling defense and a high-powered transition game to secure the title.

Championship atmosphere

The Dec. 11 finale saw a packed gym as fans from across El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park gathered to witness the highly anticipated rematch between these local rivals. Rolling Hills maintained its composure despite a late surge from Camerado Springs, executing down the stretch to seal the win and spark a celebration on the court.

With the victory, Coach Johnson and the eighth-grade team have solidified their place in Rolling Hills Middle School sports history, proving that the foundation built at Oak Meadow and Silva Valley was truly a winning formula.

time of 1:14.65

2nd — Sophia Coldstone, PHS, with a combined time of 1:14.75

3rd — Rae Starr, OR, with a combined time of 1:19.04

Top finisher by remaining South 1 schools:

4th — Lilah Gillihan, ED, with a combined time of 1:19.31

21st — Riley Duncan, UM, with a combined time of 2:11.59 Team scores: PO, 388 OR, 375 ED, 359 UM, 311 Men’s Varsity Snowboard

1st — Matix Spitzer, ED, with a combined

time of 1:07.23

2nd — Casey Hayman, ED, with a combined time of 1:08.03

3rd — Mason Beverly, ED, with a combined time of 1:08.18

Top finisher by remaining South 1 schools:

4th — 501 Tommy Schwartz, OR, with a 1:10.6

5th — Luke Padilla, PHS, with a 1:10.90 9th — Christian Whitmore-Cardenas, UM, with a 1:15.54 20th — McKenzee McGath, AA, with a 1:29.30 Team scores: ED, 391 PHS, 374 OR, 358 UM, 336 AA, 142

ordinance’s setback requirements.

The ordinance details that commercial cannabis cultivation, retail sales, laboratory testing and manufacturing shall not be located within 1,500 feet from any school, school bus stop, place of worship, park, playground/child care center, youthoriented facility, preschool, public library, licensed drug or alcohol recovery facility or licensed sober living facility — among a handful of other setback requirements.

The current language further stipulates that any setback for a commercial cannabis activity may be reduced so long as the applicant demonstrates that the actual setback will substantially achieve the purpose of the required setback and that the parcel was owned or leased by the applicant before voter approval of the ordinance on Nov. 6, 2018.

County Planning Manager Aaron Mount told supervisors numerous applicants applying for outdoor cultivation permits have requested setback relief. Most of which have been denied. At issue is language in the ordinance that requires the distance “be measured from the nearest point of the property line of the premises that contains the commercial cultivation to the nearest point of the property line of the enumerated use using a direct straight-line measurement” — regardless of where the actual grow is located on the property.

District 5 Supervisor Brooke Laine, the lone dissenting vote at the Jan. 13 meeting, said the board must balance the will of the voters with the health and safety of the community.

“I feel, personally, like the county is really making it difficult for anybody to really meet the qualifications, and certainly when they’re up on appeal for reductions,” Laine said before her no vote. “This board and other boards have consistently said no.

“Parcels are so large in El Dorado County, particularly down here on the West Slope, they can be dozens of acres, and yet only 2 or 4 acres in the middle of the property might be where there’s some kind of grow and they’ve met all the other

Forsberg Meyer

Continued from A4

That is some serious “lightening up” in action.

Singing also brings him joy. For 25 years now, he’s sung in an cappella group, the Vantastix. In a 2015 NPR interview, the self-described “songand-dance man” insisted “Everyone should dance. And everyone should sing. That you do it badly is no reason not to sing.”

Hmm. I sing occasionally, though only while out walking the dog, to spare my fellow humans. While researching this column, however, I learned about Britain’s Tuneless Choir,

narrow the paths of destruction so homes and neighborhoods can be survivable and insurable again.”

Wright said post-fire investigations consistently show that embers igniting materials within 5 feet of a structure are one of the leading causes of home loss. At Stone Canyon, those risks are addressed at both the home and neighborhood scale, including spacing between structures of up to 20 feet and analysis of surrounding fuel loads.

“This has to function as a system,” Wright said. “Wildfire isn’t isolated to a single home.” County and state officials emphasized the broader implications for El Dorado County, which remains a high fire hazard severity zone and continues to recover from the 2021 Caldor Fire.

“These homes are the future of the state of California,” District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo said, noting that hundreds of homes were lost in recent fires and many residents struggled to rebuild due to high insurance costs.

“I hope the state will adopt this program to reduce our fire insurance costs, especially in high-fire zones like El Dorado County,” Turnboo said.

Cal Dire Deputy Director of Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Frank Bigelow said developments like Stone Canyon

requirements, but this … 1,500-foot setback from … for example, bus stops,” she continued. “(It) has really been problematic because it’s from the parcel line and not the actual grow.”

District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin argued that during the appeals, residents have come out strongly against setback modifications, especially for cultivation.

“Gray areas in ordinances and regulations, that’s where we have our most angst,” Parlin said. “Just striking that out, at least for cultivation, because those are the ones that we’ve been hearing at the board from the residents pretty loud and clear. They don’t mind the cultivations … being approved if they meet the setbacks. We’ve heard that over and over and over.”

District 3 Supervisor Brian Veerkamp agreed with Parlin regarding the outdoor cultivation, but went back and forth about modifications and appeals for other commercial cannabis activities.

”If we have something that is truly going to be a benefit to this county, it can come to us as an appeal and we’ll deal with it,” Veerkamp said.

“Do the setback deviances go against voter approval?” District 1 Supervisor Greg Ferrero asked. “I’m conflicted because I want to abide by what the voters wanted. Personally, I’m not really … gonna be apt to make exceptions but, I don’t know, I’m having difficulty kind of waving a wand and saying we’re not going to even provide the opportunity for exemptions.”

County Counsel David Livingston noted the voter-approved ordinance includes language giving the Board of Supervisors discretion to amend the ordinance in any way, including, but not limited to, permit requirements without further voter approval.

Going back to supporting the appeals/setback modification process, Veerkamp made a motion to keep the Commercial Cannabis Ordinance as is. “If somebody wants to appeal it, that’s fine, and I understand we’ve denied most of those appeals, but for reasons,” he said. “I don’t think we need to go to that extreme. I think it’s sort of self-regulating to

for people who love to sing but can’t carry a tune. It was started 10 years ago by a woman who’d been told as a child to stop singing because “you’re spoiling it for everyone else.” Now there are more than 30 groups in the United Kingdom and two newly formed ones in Canada. Sounds like an excellent idea to me.

But if singing just isn’t your thing, Van Dyke also recommends humming which, like singing, is a mood-booster and even has unexpected physical benefits (such as lowering stress and heart rate while increasing nasal

demonstrate how mitigation efforts can protect lives, property and first responders.

“These efforts aren’t just important; they’re essential,” Bigelow said. “Home hardening and defensible space can reduce wildfire destruction by up to 50%.”

Well-designed communities allow fire crews to allocate resources more effectively during emergencies, improving firefighter safety and response strategy, Bigelow added.

Maintenance of the wildfireprepared standards will continue after residents move in. Homeowners will work through the homeowners’ association to ensure requirements are upheld, including maintaining the 5-foot defensible space. Annual documentation will be required to retain the designation.

IBHS leaders said Stone Canyon also serves as a model for future housing development in wildfireprone regions.

“What’s been done here shows you don’t have to sacrifice beauty to reduce risk,” Wright said. “This was baked into the design from the very beginning.”

Following the ceremony, attendees participated in a ribbon-cutting and guided tours highlighting the design features that earned Stone Canyon its wildfire-prepared designation. Stone Canyon can be found on Voltaire Drive in Cameron Park.

some degree because of the setbacks.”

But Parlin and District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo argued the setback modification requests are heavily opposed by county residents affected by neighboring cannabis grows.

“There’s been a lot of complaints by the residents who live … around these places,” Turnboo said. “One of the biggest issues they had — a lot of people are on wells — (is) the worry about the pesticides and everything that comes off these large grows … getting in the groundwater.”

Turnboo also noted sound from fans and proximity to school bus stops as ongoing concerns.

“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t like any of it. Period,” he added, “especially when it comes to public safety.”

“My residents are very concerned about having grows next door. They appreciate the setbacks,” Parlin said. “Sometimes I think we do need to listen to the folks who show up, the public that shows up and has concerns. I think that we really need to look at the people that are being impacted by a decision, and that’s mostly going to be in Districts 2, 3, and 4, I’m pretty darn sure.”

Mount noted that in addition to the conditional use permit commercial cannabis applicants must acquire, they must also have an annually issued operating permit. “Through this annual operating permit, we are able to react very quickly and are able to, if they’re egregiously violating policy, shut down that operation immediately, as opposed to having to go through … the administrative process,” he said.

Parlin made the motion to adopt the resolution initiating the possible ordinance amendment. Turnboo seconded her motion. Veerkamp withdrew his motion and voted with Parlin, Turnboo and Ferrero.

“I can’t support the motion because I like the idea that there could be that one-off, and I like having that flexibility,” Laine said. “So, I’m not going to support the motion for that reason, but I am going to say that kicking off public input on this is something I would like to see.”

nitric oxide production — yes, that’s apparently a good thing).

So, by all means, hmmm! It’s easy and fun and you don’t even have to remember the words to your favorite songs.

Clearly, goofiness is fundamental to Van Dyke’s live-well strategy. But it also gives him a focus in life.

“I live with a lifted spirit,” he writes, “and my purpose on earth has been to lift the spirits of my fellow humans.”

It’s not as if he hasn’t endured tough times, either.

“I’ve made it to one hundred, in no

of additional facilities needed to maintain the existing service level. The resulting cost is allocated across different land use types based on their expected demand for fire services, demonstrating a clear nexus and proportionality between the fee and the impact of new development.”

District 2 Supervisor Georgeo Turnboo, who represents a portion of El Dorado Hills, noted how rising costs were affecting everything. “I understand where you’re coming from, especially with a fire station, how much it costs these days,” he said. “The materials and everything has gone up so much. It’s even hard to even build a home anymore — especially a single-family home.”

El Dorado Hills resident Linda Campbell said she understood the need for such a fee but worried about its effect on homebuyers. “Always be cautious about fees that we are imposing and or increasing because, ultimately, it all trickles back to the consumers and the citizens of this county.”

New Fire Impact Fees

Residential development (per living area square foot)

Single-family housing — $1.06 (current) to $1.65 (adopted)

Multi-family housing — $1.69 (current) to $2.14 (adopted)

small part, because I have stubbornly refused to give in to the bad stuff in life: failures and defeats, personal losses, loneliness and bitterness, the physical and emotional pains of aging.

“That stuff is real, but I have not let it define me.”

Instead, you might say he defines himself as someone who loves to laugh.

Jennifer Forsberg Meyer is a columnist with the Mountain Democrat and the author of “Friends With Four Legs.” Leave a comment for her online or, for a reply, reach her at jfmfeedback@gmail.com.

Mobile home — $1.21 (current) to $1.82 (adopted)

Assisted living facility — $1.70 (current) to $3.30 (adopted)

Accessory dwelling unit smaller than 750 square feet — exempt (current and adopted per state code)

Accessory dwelling unit 750 square feet or larger — $0 (current) to $1.65 (adopted)

Nonresidential development (per building square foot)

Retail/commercial — $1.75 (current) to $3.19 (adopted)

Office — $2.19 (current) to $4.33 (adopted)

Industrial — $1.60 (current) to $2.85 (adopted)

Agriculture — $0.68 (current) to $0.42 (adopted)

Warehouse/distribution — $1.09 (current) to $1.52 (adopted)

The motion was made by District 1 Supervisor Greg Ferrero, who represents a large portion of EDH, and seconded by District 3 Supervisor Brian Veerkamp, a retired EDH fire chief, to adopt and authorize the chair to sign the resolution, approving the updated Fire Impact Fee nexus study and increasing the development impact mitigation fees for the El Dorado Hills Fire Department. Supervisors Turnboo, Lori Parlin and Brooke Laine joined them in supporting the agenda item.

to 911 and alerted Ben Butler, owner of Pizza Bene. Butler and Jeff Meader from Placerville News Company walked behind the buildings and tried to determine where the fire was.

“It was kind of crazy,” Kelly shared. “The power went out. The smoke was billowing out and it smelled like an electrical fire.”

Firefighters determined the small blaze involved two support beams behind and under 413 Main St., the now vacant shop that once housed Hangtown Cyclery. The fire was extinguished and it was determined that no other structures were involved.

The Placerville Police Department

coordinated with Placerville Public Works for the road closure, which lasted a few hours. El Dorado County Fire, El Dorado Hills Fire Department, Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit, Cameron Park Fire and Rescue Fire Department responded to the call with a dozen fire engines/ trucks. Two ambulances were dispatched though no injuries were reported. PG&E crews were also spotted on scene.

After the fire was extinguished, firefighters used fans to blow smoke out from under the building to alleviate potential smoke damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

COMICS

final EIR, which will include copies of the comments received during the comment period and the county’s responses to comments pertaining to the environmental review and DEIR.

A subsequent scheduled public hearing will be conducted on the project upon completion of the final EIR when county leaders consider action on the project. The county must certify the final EIR prior to project approval.

The DEIR determined that the proposed project would result in significant and unavoidable traffic impacts, both at the project level and cumulatively. There are no feasible mitigation measures available to reduce these impacts to a less-than significant level, the report notes.

The study did determine that all other CEQA topics, project and cumulative impacts — air quality; biological resources, cultural resources; geology, soils and paleontological resources; greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; hazards and hazardous materials; noise and vibration; tribal cultural resources; and wildfire and evacuation — can be mitigated to less-than-significant level.

The proposal includes an approximately 165,000-square-foot Costco warehouse retail center with a tire center and customer parking (above and below ground) on the south side of Silva Valley Parkway on approximately 17.63 acres. The Costco gas station with 32 fueling positions and employee parking would be constructed on the north side of Silva

at the end of the 2022-23 school year; however, according to a statement released by the El Dorado Union High School District, the suspect has since “periodically worked with the district in a limited support role.”

“Because this is an active law enforcement investigation, we have no additional information beyond what has been publicly released,” the EDUHSD release states.

Valley Parkway on approximately 3.29 acres. A traffic light will be installed on Silva Valley Parkway at the main entrance to both the store and gas station.

The remaining Costco-owned property on the north side of Silva Valley Parkway — once slated for an apartment complex and commercial/ retail project — will remain vacant and likely be sold, according to project proponents.

All written public and agency comments on the DEIR must be received by 5 p.m. on March 23.

Comments should be directed to: County of El Dorado Planning and Building Department – Planning Division

Attention: Cameron Welch 2850 Fairlane Court, Placerville, CA 95667

Include the name of the contact person of your agency, if applicable. Comments may be submitted via email to EDHCostco@edcgov.us.

Comments submitted via email must either be included in the body text of the message or as an attachment in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Comments may also be delivered in person to the Planning and Building Department at the address listed above. A meeting to answer questions regarding the project and the environmental process will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Cameron Park Community Center, 2502 Country Club Drive in Cameron Park. Written comments may also be submitted at this meeting.

“The safety of our students is our highest priority,” the message continues. “We are taking these allegations seriously and are working closely with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. While it is not known at this time whether the allegations involve a student from our district, we are taking all appropriate steps to protect our school community. The district will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as more information becomes available.”

EDSO officials note this is an ongoing investigation. Anyone who may have information for the case or know of any other potential victims is asked to contact Det. Katz at katzt@eldoradosheriff. gov or (530) 642-4716.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ve been around hard people and known the cold pain of emotional indifference. Your capacity for kindness has been earned with firsthand experience of emotionally barren situations. Now your warmth changes everything for someone.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Questions arise. What’s the cost of attention, approval and affection? It’s different in different relationships. Sometimes it seems much more expensive than it’s worth. Often the currencies are subtle. Does the trade itself negate the presence of real love?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The vague restlessness of the day has you up and out, looking for somewhere to apply your energy that will keep you engaged, responsible and involved. Meaningful tasks will quiet an uneasy feeling and put you back on course.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Power and efficiency go hand-in-hand. Today sees you doing less but doing it well and creating a greater effect than overcomplicating or overextending yourself. Minimalism makes your world simply beautiful and keeps you from getting bogged down.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Don’t waste time where red flags are flying. There are so many people of stellar character you haven’t met yet. Keep moving. You deserve to be around people who support, uplift and inspire your trust on every front.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). There’s a common belief that focusing on personal goals leads to happiness, yet shared effort and contribution often produce deeper, longer-lasting joy. Helping or collaborating with others will uplift you in the moment, and the good feelings linger.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You like someone. Your goal isn’t just to understand the piece of them you interact with. You already know their work role or public persona. You’re more interested in what motivates them. One thoughtful question can start that deeper connection.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re doing well, but it’s OK to want to be doing even better. People who have your best interest at heart are fine with this. A transformation is happening now, albeit slowly. Keep focusing on what you want.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You don’t always stop when you feel tired, because you know you have reserves that will kick in after you’ve spent everything in the tank. When it’s important enough, you can push through, and you’ll

NEWS, IN THE KNOW

Stellar Students

Congratulations to Giordano Gambetta of El Dorado Hills who was recently named to Georgia Southern University’s fall President’s List.

Jan. 28

Sacramento Metro Chamber and Sutter Health present the Sacramento Speakers Series at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center at 7: 30 p.m. featuring Vice President Mike Pence. For tickets and more information visit sacramentospeakers. com.

Capital Stage in Sacramento presents “The Sound Inside” through March 1. For tickets and more information call (916) 995-5464 or visit capstage.org.

Jan. 29

The El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce will host its 101st annual Installation and Awards Dinner at 5 p.m. at the Placerville Gathering Place. For more information visit eldoradocounty.org.

El Dorado Resource Conservation District and Cal Fire will host the Placerville Vegetation Management Program — Community Meeting at Placerville’s Town Hall, 6-7:30 p.m.. This overview of the Placerville Vegetation Management Program will cover proposed treatments, program boundary, landowner eligibility and project timeline. Learn more at eldoradorcd.org.

Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento presents an Artist Talk with Hank Willis Thomas and Unity Lewis from 6-7:30 p.m. Join internationally acclaimed artist Hank Willis Thomas in conversation with multitalented artist, musician and curator Unity Lewis. For tickets and more information visit crockerart.org.

Jan. 30

Art on Center: Center for Native, Latino and Indigenous Arts presents an artist’s talk with Corina del Carmel at 6 p.m. discussing her exhibition on view through Jan. 31 at 3184 Center St. in Placerville.

Jan. 31

Join the American River Conservancy for From Trails To Tales: A Park Ranger’s Stories — Author talk from 10 a.m. to noon. Register online at app. dvforms.net/api/dv/dwd528. For more information visit arconservancy.org.

El Dorado County Historical Society and Fountain and Tallman Museum present Stories from the Narrow Gauge Logging Era from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 6139 Pleasant Valley Road, El Dorado. For more information visit edchs.org.

Anthony Arya Band + Purely Medicinal will perform, 7-11 p.m. at The Green Room Social Club in downtown Placerville. For tickets and more information visit clubgreenroom.com.

The Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera presents Tchaikovsky & Schumann at 7:30 p.m. Cellist Zlatomir Fung joins the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera for Tchaikovsky’s elegant

“Variations on a Rococo Theme,” Catan’s “Florencia” and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3. For tickets and more information call (916) 4765975 or visit sacphilopera.org.

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A banner day for the Roses

Lisa Crummett Banners on Parade

The annual Banners on Parade community art project, a program of Images of Hope El Dorado, showcased 28 artists in last year’s banner exhibit on light poles on Main Street in Placerville. The 2025 exhibit was themed “Hidden Gems.” One of the featured works, “The El Dorado Rose,” was painted by local artist Don Juvet.

At a recent meeting of the El Dorado Roses, Bill Robinson of Images of Hope presented the banner as a gift to El Dorado Rose President Sherry Phillipsen, who suggested it be displayed at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in the El Dorado Rose garden just outside the Corker building. El Dorado Rose Inc. is a nonprofit community organization. Each year at the El Dorado County Fair, mature women who have made significant contributions through volunteer service are selected as El Dorado Roses. Dressed in Victorian attire, these representatives honor and showcase the county’s rich history by participating in

local events and celebrations throughout the year.

Banners on Parade is an annual community art project that brings original, artistpainted banners to historical Main Street, Placerville each

summer. Started in 2005 with hand painted wheelbarrows and wine barrels, the program evolved into its current form in 2007, displaying 30-by-60inch canvas banners created by local artists, businesses

and organizations. As of 2025, more than 600 pieces of community art have been exhibited along Main Street. Learn more at imagesofhopeeldorado.com/ banners-on-parade.

Buckeye Elementary supports students, families

Buckeye Union School District / News release

The Resource Closet at Buckeye Elementary School in Shingle Springs is part of a broader family support e ort within Buckeye Union School District, created in partnership with ASPIRE Kids and strengthened by the ongoing support of parent volunteers and community donors.

Buckeye Elementary School is proud to share the continued success of this on-campus, community-driven initiative, which provides essential items to help students and families thrive in school and beyond.

The Resource Closet was launched through a collaborative e ort with ASPIRE Kids, with special thanks to Jodi Mottashed, Buckeye Elementary Principal Mr. Cadden, and Family Engagement Liaison Regina Helmer. Through ASPIRE Kids’ HandsON! program, the partnership has helped bring meaningful, hands-on support directly to the Buckeye campus. Since its start, the Resource Closet has grown thanks to the generosity of parent volunteers and donations secured from businesses, organizations, and neighbors throughout our wonderful community. While the giving spirit is especially visible during the holiday season, the need for essential resources continues all year long, and this program is here to meet those ongoing needs with compassion and care.

The Resource Closet is

available to all Buckeye Elementary students and their families and is stocked with a wide range of items, including clothing and shoes, school supplies, personal hygiene items, and snacks and food items.

All items are provided free of charge and distributed discreetly to protect student privacy and dignity. Families may visit the Resource Closet directly or work with school sta to have items sent home confidentially. No qualifications or paperwork required and no questions asked.

“While it’s wonderful to see our community come together during the holidays, it’s just as important to recognize that needs don’t end when the season does,” said Principal Cadden.

“The Resource Closet allows us to support our families year-round and ensure every student has what they need to feel confident and ready to learn. I love that other members of our school community have also taken upon themselves to solicit donations from local business partners as well. It’s made a big di erence for some of our families.”

Buckeye Elementary extends heartfelt thanks to ASPIRE Kids, parent volunteers, sta , and community partners whose generosity and commitment continue to make a lasting di erence for students and families. For questions or to learn more about accessing or supporting the Resource Closet, families are encouraged to contact the Buckeye Elementary o ce.

Creative economies town hall tour comes to Placerville

Andrew Vonderschmitt

Features editor

Artists, advocates and local

o cials packed Placerville Town Hall last week to learn about and o er feedback on California’s first-ever creative economy strategic plan. Through it all one point was made unmistakably clear: rural communities want to be seen, funded and fully included.

The Placerville town hall was part of the California Arts Council’s 30-stop Creative Economies in Action statewide engagement tour, a series of listening sessions designed to gather public input on the plan titled California’s Future Is Creative: Strategies for Cultural Resilience, Economic Growth and Global Leadership. Mandated by Assembly Bill 127, the document is intended to guide state policy and investment in creative industries ranging from arts and design to film, media and cultural tourism.

Plan as flexible roadmap

Danielle Brazell, executive director of the California Arts Council, moderated the discussion alongside regional and statewide arts leaders. She described the plan as a flexible framework rather than a one-size-fitsall prescription.

“We are a small agency by state standards, but we are mighty,” Brazell told the audience, recounting how a free performance art workshop in the 1990s helped launch her own career in the arts. If California can grow creativity and cultural expression for everyone, she said, “the possibilities are audacious — and I’m always going to dare to dream.”

Brazell and fellow moderators — Julie Baker, chief executive o cer of Californians for the Arts; Jason Jong, cultural and creative economy manager for the city of Sacramento; and Terry LeMoncheck, executive director of Arts and Culture El Dorado — explained that the plan is organized around six action areas: preparing and supporting the creative workforce; stabilizing and growing creative businesses; boosting local economies through cultural identity and tourism; integrating creative work with sectors such as health, climate and disaster response; improving data and return-on-investment tracking;

and strengthening state and regional infrastructure to support long-term growth.

People-first approach

At the heart of the framework, Brazell emphasized, is a people-first approach.

“You can't have a creative economy without human beings.,” she said, noting that artists and cultural workers face mounting pressures from a ordability, climate impacts, mental health challenges and limited access to capital. “AI apocalypse or not,” she added, “we’re the creative people.”

The plan was shaped over 18 months by a workgroup of more than 30 representatives from arts advocacy, labor, academia, philanthropy, film and television, gaming and government, with research support from the Institute for the Future.

Moderators said the group’s charge was to develop a strategy that could work in major urban centers as well as sparsely populated mountain and rural counties.

Rural

representation

That promise drew pointed feedback from El Dorado County participants.

LeMoncheck questioned whether the plan adequately reflects rural realities. After searching the document, she said references to rural communities were limited and, in some cases, framed as places to be “revitalized” by newcomers rather than recognized for existing creative assets.

“I downloaded the plan and did a control-F on the word ‘rural,’” LeMoncheck said. “It doesn’t come up too many times.”

Brazell acknowledged the concern, saying that such framing can feel dismissive.

“That seems pejorative to me,” she said. “And I just want to name it … I don't think that's the intended scenario.”

She added that one of the conscious e orts of the plan was not to distinguish between the urban, the rural or the suburban, “because it almost is like a dividing line.”

Jong, also a member of the planning team, said the question of who is missing came up repeatedly during development of the plan.

“Where are the artists in the room?

Where are artists with disabilities? Where are folks from rural areas and at the extremities of our state?” Jong said. The town hall, he added, was part of answering those questions. “This is a start. The work now rests with all of us in rooms like this.”

Arts as essential infrastructure

During public comment, El Dorado County artists and community leaders echoed that message, calling for stronger and more reliable investment in the creative sector and arguing that the arts should be treated as essential infrastructure, not a luxury.

One speaker described rural artists as “place keepers of our identity,” saying creative work is “integral to the human beings that live in this community,” not an amenity to be added later. Several advocated for a centralized countywide performing arts and cultural center that would value all disciplines equally.

Others stressed the importance of K-12 arts and music education. A representative of the Placerville Arts Association said arts education “gives you more than your normal STEM type of education,” citing the group’s funding of arts grants at every school in the county over the past five years.

Speakers also tied the arts directly to economic development, calling for capacity-building programs that help artists turn creative practice into sustainable employment as growth accelerates in nearby regions.

“Without the money, then programs aren’t there,” one commenter said, while others pointed to gaps in tribal representation and access to grantwriting support.

Visual artists and venue operators described a fragile local arts economy, with nonprofit spaces facing empty seats and residents unable to a ord to buy tickets to shows or pieces of art.

“We can give lots of money to create lots of things,” one visual artist said, “but what we really need are consumers for those things.”

Public art, murals and food-and-art events were cited as ways to reach broader audiences, with speakers pointing to recent public art projects in Camino and along Broadway as examples. Others suggested pairing agriculture, wineries, art and cuisine to create tourism experiences that extend beyond a single visit.

Baker, also a Nevada County resident, told the crowd that the strategic plan’s greatest strength may be that it exists at all.

“We are no longer siloed,” Baker said, explaining that the plan gives

advocates a shared document to bring to legislators and local o cials. California, she noted, ranks near the bottom nationally in per-capita public arts funding despite having the largest creative workforce in the country.

Funding gap underscores urgency

The California Arts Council currently distributes about $21 million annually, Baker said, while receiving more than $90 million in requests. Letting the plan sit unused would be a mistake.

“It would be a crime if this stays a piece of paper on a shelf,” she said. “We spent almost a million dollars of taxpayer money to make this happen. Now we have to operationalize it.”

LeMoncheck underscored the local stakes.

“It would really be a missed opportunity if I didn't sort of bring it back to the hyper-local," she said. “I'm sure many of you in the room know that our county funding was eliminated this past year,” adding that Arts and Culture was one of the only county-designated arts councils in California without county support.

“Just think what we could do if we got our funding back,” she said, encouraging attendees to show up at county board meetings when the county budget was being discussed to speak on the organisation’s behalf.

Long-term investment

Brazell framed the plan as a “permission structure” for communities to align local priorities with state policy and funding — and as a long-term e ort rather than a quick fix.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” she said. “If you put something into arts and culture, you’re going to get something out of it. That’s simple math. The question is where you want to lean in — as a town, as a county, as a state.”

Next steps

Input from the Placerville town hall and other tour stops will be used to develop a detailed implementation addendum, scheduled for submission to the governor’s o ce and Legislature in early 2026. Residents can continue to provide feedback through future events and online surveys, moderators said, as the state works to turn listening sessions into action.

The plan and future tour dates can be found at creativeeconomy.arts. ca.gov/strategic-plan.

Make a deal at the Shakespeare Club

The Placerville Shakespeare Club will host its annual bridge party Wednesday, March 25, o ering a full day of play, food and prizes at its clubhouse on Bedford Avenue.

The event, themed “Let’s Make a Deal,” begins at 9:30 a.m. at 2940 Bedford Ave., with play starting promptly at 10 a.m. The public is invited to participate in what the club describes as “Brilliant Bridge — Fabulous Food — Delightful Door Prizes.”

Men and women are welcome to compete. The cost is $50 per pair, which includes a morning snack, lunch, cash prizes and door prizes. Partners will play together for the

entire day.

Applications must be received by March 17. For reservations or more information, call Ruthie at (530) 9196392.

Founded in 1907, the Placerville Shakespeare Club is one of the oldest community clubs in El Dorado County. It is dedicated to promoting literary and cultural activities, including programs, scholarships and community events, while also supporting local arts and education. The club meets regularly at its historic clubhouse and is known for its longstanding civic and charitable involvement in the Placerville community. For more information, visit the club’s website at placervilleshakespeare.com.

Strong wildflower bloom forecasted

California State Parks News release

SACRAMENTO — California State Parks is forecasting a moderate-to-strong wildflower bloom this spring across desert state parks following widespread rainfall during the fall and winter.

Early signs of color are already appearing at parks such as AnzaBorrego Desert State Park and Red Rock Canyon State Park, with additional locations expected to see peak blooms in the coming weeks and months. O cials reminded visitors that it is illegal to pick wildflowers in state parks and urged the public to enjoy the displays responsibly.

Depending on location and timing, visitors may see sand verbena, desert poppies, primroses, desert sunflowers and apricot mallow. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve typically sees peak color from midMarch through May, with dense blooms that may include poppies, fiddleneck and redstem filaree. The

reserve o ers a live “PoppyCam” feed so visitors can check conditions before traveling.

Wildflower growth depends on several factors, including rainfall, sunlight, temperature and wind. At Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Henderson Canyon Road is currently showing the most vibrant displays, while Borrego Palm Canyon and Coyote Canyon are beginning to show early color. Peak bloom season generally begins in mid-February, though timing varies by region.

State Parks encouraged visitors to plan ahead and recreate responsibly, particularly in desert environments where weather conditions, limited cell service and temperature swings can pose challenges. O cials advised visitors to stay on designated trails, avoid trampling flowers, bring adequate water and prepare for changing weather conditions.

Bloom updates in English and Spanish, with park rules and safety tips, are available at parks.ca.gov/ WildflowerBloom.

Blues Rocker will perform at 7 p.m. at Sutter Creek Theatre in Sutter Creek. For tickets and more information call (916) 425-0077 or visit suttercreektheater.com.

Feb. 1

Music on the Divide presents Mamajowali at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information visit musiconthedivide.org.

Animal Outreach of the Mother Lode will host a Bingo Benefit, 5-7 p.m. at the Shingle Springs Community Center. To register or fro more information visit animaloutreach.net.

Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento presents The Sense of Beauty — Six Centuries of Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce through May 24. For more information visit crockerart. org.

Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom presents The Ten Tenors at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and more information call (916) 608-6888 or visit harriscenter.net.

Feb. 3

Powell’s Steamer Company and Pub, 425 Main St., presents Eric Hill and Jonny Mojo for Taco Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. Stop by for some good food and good tunes. For more information call (530) 626-1091.

The Pollock Pines-Camino Community Center will host its See’s Candy Valentine’s Day Fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Feb. 14 at 2675 Sanders Drive in Pollock Pines. For more information visit pollockpinesca.org.

Feb. 5

Late Nite Productions presents Mickey Avalon and Blake

Banks’ Postcards from Hell Tour at the Auburn Oddfellows Hall at 8 p.m. For more information visit LateNiteProductions.com.

Now

El Dorado County Historical Society and Fountain and Tallman Museum presents “Snowbound, Historical Vignettes of Winter Sports and Leisure in El Dorado County” on view through Feb. 16. For more information visit edchs.org.

Cantiga Wineworks, 5980 Meyers Land in Somerset, is having Happy Hour with Fritz on Fridays from 3-6 p.m. Come for the wine, stay for the games, conversation and community. For more information call (530) 621-1696.

Miraflores Winery, 2120 Four Springs Trail in Placerville, is having Sparkling Sundays, the one day of the week where two fabulous sparklers are poured. Try a complimentary tasting of Blanc de Noirs and Brut. Both are crafted with organically grown grapes from Sonoma County and created in the traditional Methode Champenoise style. Call (530) 647-8505 or email info@ mirafloreswinery.com for more information.

Shadow Ranch in Somerset will host Grilled Cheese Sundays every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. through winter. For more information visit shadowranch. com.

Artist open call. Gallery 10 in Sutter Creek is accepting submissions for its Annual National Exhibition, Golden State, an “in-gallery, juried” exhibition. The juror is Cheryl Gleason, an award-winning artist and artistic director/curator at Mills Station

Art and Culture Center in Rancho Cordova. Artists from across the United States should submit works that engage California’s golden landscapes, its flora and fauna and its storied gold rush. The submission deadline is March 15. Visit the prospectus at gallery10.org/call-for-artists.

El Dorado Musical Theatre presents “Bye Bye Birdie” through Jan. 31 at Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom. For tickets and more information call (916) 608-6888 or visit harriscenter. net.

Folsom History presents Metal as Medium through Feb. 28. An art exhibition showcasing works from the California Blacksmith Association. Learn more at folsomhistory.org.

The Sacramento History Museum presents RCAF in Mictlán: 50th Anniversary of Dia de los Muertos on display through April 5, 2026. For more information visit sachistorymuseum.org.

Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento presents Making Moves: A Collection of Feminisms through May 3; and Pueblo Pottery – Native American Pottery and Sculpture through Dec. 31, 2030; For more information visit crockerart.org.

California Railroad Museum presents the Restored No. 9 Steam Locomotive and companion Exhibit are on display inside the historic roundhouse through January. For tickets and more information visit californiarailroad.museum.

Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento hosts Art Rx, Docent led discussions for those with chronic pain and their

friends, family and caregivers, second and fourth Saturdays at 11 a.m.; Meet Me at the Museum: tours designed for visitors with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, using art observation and conversation to foster engagement and social interaction, second Fridays at 11 a.m.; and Highly Descriptive Tours, 50-minute tours with detailed verbal descriptions and guided discussion for blind or low-vision individuals and their guests, fourth Fridays at 1 p.m. For more information visit crockerart.org.

California Railroad Museum will present All Aboard for Story Time every Monday at 11 a.m. This program is included with Museum admission. For more information visit californiarailroad.museum.

The Mills Station Arts and Culture Center in Rancho Cordova hosts Live Model Drawing classes every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. For more information visit rcmacc.org.

The Master Gardener public office is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon at 311 Fair Lane, Placerville. Have a gardening question or problem? Come in and chat, bring a cutting or insect in a baggie or a picture. Can’t come in person? Call (530) 621-5512 and leave a voicemail or email mgeldorado@ucanr.edu.

The Mom Walk, Sip and Stroll meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the El Dorado Hills Town Center amphitheater. It’s a great way to get active with other local moms.

Marco’s Café in Lotus hosts a family friendly Open Mic Night Thursdays from 6-8:30 p.m. For more information visit

marcoscafelotus.com.

Sherwood Demonstration Garden is open the first Saturday of the month November through February for open garden days. Take a leisurely stroll through all 16 themed gardens. Docents are on-site to assist you with any questions regarding the Sherwood Demonstration Garden or your personal gardens. May be closed for inclement weather, high temperatures or poor air quality — check before visiting: ucanr.edu/sites/EDC_Master_ Gardeners/Demonstration_ Garden. Parking permits are required, purchase a $2 permit at any parking lot kiosk.

Check out Placerville Cars and Coffee every Saturday, 7-9 a.m. at Lions Park. Hang out with other car enthusiasts.

EDH Cars and Coffee invites car people to meet up and hang out Saturdays, 7-9:30 a.m., rain or shine, in the right-side parking lot of the Regal movie theater in El Dorado Hills Town Center. The motto is “If it rolls, it goes.”

Marshal Gold Discovery Park will host Living History Days every second Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit marshallgold.com.

The Pollock Pines Community

California Wildlife Photo of the Year announced

Barbara L. Steinberg

California Watchable Wildlife

Alice Cahill’s dramatic photograph of a bald eagle snatching an American coot at Atascadero Lake has been named the 2025 California Wildlife Photo of the Year.

The image earned the grand prize in a statewide contest sponsored by California Watchable Wildlife and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which recognize photographs that capture California’s diverse wildlife and the viewing experiences found across the state’s natural and wild lands.

The contest runs year-round, with winning photographs selected and announced every two months and featured on social media and the California Watchable Wildlife website. The overall Photo of the Year is chosen from 15 to 20 bi-monthly winners by judges from the Outdoor Writers Association of California, a nonprofit association of media professionals who cover outdoor recreation and related issues in California and the western region.

A panel of three judges initially evaluates submissions based on creativity, technical excellence, overall impact and artistic merit. Judges Steve Callan and John Williamson of OWAC said selecting a single winner was challenging.

“All of the photos were excellent,” Callan said. “The photograph of a mature bald eagle snatching an American coot in midair stood out above the rest. The photographer’s timing was perfect, catching this classic scene in the right light and with great clarity.” Callan also praised the image’s balance and composition, noting the patience and planning required to capture an action shot without disrupting either bird’s natural behavior.

Cahill, a thirdgeneration Californian born in Los Angeles, said her love of nature began early. She recalled childhood memories of orange blossoms and wildlife that were once common near her home. In her 30s, she took up backpacking in the Sierra Nevada but did not yet have a camera to document her experiences.

She received her first camera in 1992 as a Christmas gift from her husband, Don. Cahill studied photography through magazines and correspondence courses with the New York Institute of Photography, learning composition and exposure while shooting slides.

Her work has since earned numerous honors, including the grand prize in Audubon Magazine’s 2012 photo contest, with her image featured on the magazine’s cover. She has also won categories in the Nature’s Best International Photography contest and the North American Nature Photography

contest, where her work appeared on the back cover of “Expressions” in 2015.

“In my photography I strive to see with the ‘eyes of my heart’ —

to find that essential element which elicits a sense of wonder,” Cahill said, adding that she views nature as both a refuge and a healing force.

Two additional

winning images were also recognized this year, representing the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and California Watchable Wildlife viewing sites. Dana Hodgson's

image of coyote pup siblings taken at Owens Lake, Inyo County and Jacqueline Deely's photo of the long-billed Curlew with a sand crab taken at Morro Bay State Park, San Luis

Obispo County. Learn more about California Watchable Wildlife at cawatchablewildlife. org and Sierra Nevada Conservancy at sierranevada.ca.gov.

Invasive pest quarantines

Aquarantine is a legally defined area where the movement of certain plants, fruit, cuttings or insects is restricted to prevent the spread of a pest or plant disease. California has several quarantines in effect due to invasive pests not native to the state that have few natural predators to keep them under control. These quarantines have created significant economic challenges not only for homeowners but also for the citrus, grape and other foodgrowing industries. The quarantines to be aware of in El Dorado County include the Asian citrus psyllid, the glassy-winged sharpshooter and sweet orange scab. These pests and diseases do not harm humans or animals, but they can be deadly to plants.

The Asian citrus psyllid arrived in Southern California in 2008. The insect spreads huanglongbing, also known as HLB, a fatal citrus tree disease. After feeding on infected plant tissue, the psyllid can transmit the HLB bacteria to healthy trees, allowing the disease to spread. More information is available at ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/ PESTNOTES/pn74155. html.

Both the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing continue to spread in residential landscapes and farms throughout California. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has established Asian citrus psyllid quarantine

Phyllis Lee

UCCE Master Gardener of El Dorado County

zones in 27 counties, stretching from the Mexican border to Northern California, including the Bay Area and Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties.

Within these zones, restrictions apply to the purchase, sale and movement of citrus plants, fruit and plant material. Citrus trees and fruit with stems, leaves or attached plant debris may not be moved from a quarantine area into El Dorado County.

Huanglongbing quarantine zones are more restrictive and are intended to prevent the spread of the disease in affected areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties.

The glassy-winged sharpshooter spreads Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium that causes fatal diseases such as Pierce’s disease in grapevines and leaf scorch in oleander, which has no known cure.

California’s quarantine restricts the movement of nursery stock and other host plants from infested regions to non-infested areas. There is currently a quarantine in El Dorado Hills for the glassy-

winged sharpshooter. Plants must be treated with approved pesticides under county supervision and pass inspection before they can be moved.

Sweet orange scab, caused by the fungus Elsinoe australis, produces pustules and lesions on the rind of citrus fruit. The disease is found in Southern California, and compliance with Asian citrus psyllid quarantine rules also satisfies the requirements for sweet orange scab.

Anyone who believes they have seen a glassywinged sharpshooter or Asian citrus psyllid in El Dorado County should not remove or relocate plant material. Instead, contact the UC Master Gardener office by calling (530) 621-5512 or by email at mgeldorado@ucanr.edu, or call the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Exotic Pest Hotline at (800) 4911899.

For more information about UC Master Gardener classes, events and garden resources visit mgeldorado.ucanr. edu.

For garden hours and activity information for the Sherwood Demonstration Garden visit ucanr. edu/sites/EDC_ Master_Gardeners/ Demonstration_Garden. Have a gardening question? Use the “Ask a Master Gardener” option on the website or leave a message at (530) 621-5512.

For more information about UC Master Food Preserver classes, events and food preserving resources visit ucanr. edu/site/ucce-masterfood-preservers-centralsierra.

Saturday Feb 7th

Music Hall, 1710 Mission Street, San Francisco

Audio1 @ 9:30pm Rick & Roxy's, 2131 Lombard St, San Francisco

Oliver Smith @ 10pm Halcyon SF, 314 11th St, San Fran‐cisco

Winter Community Creek Clean-up @ 10am Join us on Saturday, January 31st

10AM-12PM at Putah Creek Na‐ture Park in Winters! 201 E Main St, 201 East Main Street, Winters

Artist Talk with Charlene Will @ 2pm / $10 Come enjoy an artist talk by Char‐lene Will, recipient of the 2025 Pence Gallery Emerging Artist Award! Pence Gallery, 212 D Street, Davis. pencesocialmedia@ gmail.com, 530-758-3370

Can't Look Away Documentary Film Hosted by the Michael Leonardi Foundation @ 4pm / Free Join us for a special screening of CAN’T LOOK AWAY: The Case Against Social Media — a gripping and urgent documentary exposing the dark side of social media and its devastating impact on young users. Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main Street, Napa. info@ michaelleonardifoundation.org

Shea Welsh Performs with Earl Thomas @ 5pm Biscuits & Blues, 401 Mason St, San Francisco

Marina V in San Francisco @ 6pm Sutter Street Historic Center, 2460 Sutter St, San Francisco

Serrano Country ClubStories and Songs from Nashville (Mark Taylor & Mark Irwin) @ 6:30pm Serrano Country Club, 5005 Ser‐rano Pkwy, El Dorado Hills

Anthony Arya: The Green Room Social Club @ 7pm The Green Room Social Club, 251 Main St, Placerville

SF Sketchfest: Alex Bennett & Friends: An SF Sketchfest Salute @ 7pm Cobb's Comedy Club, San Fran‐cisco

Adrian West Band at The Melon Ball in Davis

@ 7:30pm / $20

Adrian West Band per‐forms at The Melon Ball listening room in Davis. Six-piece band with Michael Echaniz on the Steinway Grand Piano. A mix of original acoustic rock & covers & jazz. BYOB! Watermelon Mu‐sic, 1970 Lake Boulevard, Davis. adrian@adrian west.com, 510-428-1035 Return of the Emcee XIV @ 9pm Brick & Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Mission Street, San Francisco

The Embodied Brain: Movement, Neuroplasticity, and Human Adaptability with Dr. Yana Nakhimova @ 11:15am / Free How does movement shape the brain? ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell Street, San Francisco. boxof�ce@odc.dance, 415-5498534

Makeup & Mimosas: Drag Brunch with a Punch - 13+ with Parent/Guardian @ 12pm Punch Line Comedy Club - Sacra‐mento, Sacramento

Joey Dardano: Another Direction @ SF Sketchfest @ 2pm The Lost Church San Francisco, 988 Columbus Ave, San Francisco

The Telephone Numbers @ 7pm Kilowatt Bar, 3160 16th St, San Francisco

KILLINGTIME @ 7pm Punch Line Comedy Club, 2100 Arden Way, Sacramento

Lines Broken: The Story of Marion MotleyFree Screening @ 2pm / Free Join us for a free screen‐ing of the award winning PBS documentary Lines Broken, the inspiring story of football legend Marion Motley! Kroc Center, 586 East Wigeon Way, Suisun City. show@eddrick.com

Killing Time w/ Holly James & Johnny Taylor, Jr. - in the Callback Bar @ 7pm Punch Line Sacramento Callback Bar, Sacramento

Yesh Malik @ 7pm Fort Mason Center for Arts & Cul‐ture, 2 Marina Blvd Building C, San Francisco

Hashtronaut @ 7pm Cafe Colonial, 3520 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento

Aleman & Gera MX - Rich Ma�a Tour US 2026 @ 7pm Ace of Spades, Sacramento

Sace6 @ 8pm Great American Music Hall, 859 O'‐farrell St, San Francisco

Lakeside Laughs Comedy Club @ 8pm The Cabaret at Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe

Tai Chi Classes for Beginners @ 8:50am Beginning tai chi classes offered at eh Woodland Community & Senior Center Woodland Community & Senior Center, 2001 East Street, Woodland. tina�tness68@ gmail.com

Rotary Club of Davis Weekly Lunch & Program

@ 12pm See website for details. ro‐taryclubofdavis.com Davis Com‐munity Church, 421 D Street, Davis. spshoe@mac.com

Strength & Balance Class

@ 1:15pm Strength & Balance class at the Davis Lutheran Church Davis Lutheran Church ELCA, 317 East 8th Street, Davis. tina�tness68@ gmail.com

Fire�y Art: Theodore Judah Elementary (Folsom), Session C

@ 2:55pm / $126 Feb 2nd - Mar 23rd

Theodore Judah Elementary (Fol‐som), 101 Dean Way, Folsom. 916419-7644

Children's Dance Classes After School at the Davis Arts Center

@ 4:15pm Tina Fitness offers children's Dance classes after school at the Davis Arts Center. Davis Arts Cen‐ter, 1919 F Street, Davis. tina�t ness68@gmail.com

Ruston Kelly @ 7pm The Independent, 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco

verygently @ 7pm The Independent, 628 Divisadero St, San Francisco

Ruston Kelly @ 8pm The Independent SF, 628 Di‐visadero Street, San Francisco

Tue 2/03

Beginning Tai Chi @ 10:15am Tai chi classes suitable for begin‐ning practitioners Davis Arts Cen‐ter, 1919 F Street, Davis. tina�t ness68@gmail.com

Product Launch: United DSPM & DLP to Secure Data in the AI Era @ 11am Live on Feb 3, Cyberhaven unveils a uni�ed, AI native DSPM + DLP platform that traces how sensitive data moves across SaaS, cloud, and AI tools so security leaders can see and control real risk. San Fran‐cisco. marketing@cyber haven.com

Sarper Güven @ 7:30pm Punch Line

Sacramento

Jack Wright's Neil Diamond Superstar @ 7:30pm / $35-$45 Winters Opera House, 13 Main Street, Winters. winterslive9@gmail.com, 925-785-4300

of

and Israel

Nebeker @ 8pm Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco

Sips & Bites: The Chemistry of Distinc‐tive Wines @ 6pm / $20-$30

Wine tasting focusing on the chemistry of �avors. Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Sci‐ence, 392 Old Davis Road, Davis. rmievents@uc davis.edu, 530-754-6349

The Hajj

@ 6:30pm Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 4th St, San Francisco

Trestles @ 7pm Cafe Colonial, 3520 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento Temptress/ Cattlemass/ Barren Altar/ Disastroid @ 8pm Neck of the Woods, San Francisco Barren Altar @ 8pm

sic Hall, San Fran‐cisco

Emo vs Pop-Punk @ 9pm Brick & Mortar Music Hall, 1710 Mission Street, San Francisco

Lance Woods & Friends @ 9:45pm Cobb's Comedy Club, San Fran‐cisco

Kehlani @ 10pm 1015 Folsom, 1015 Folsom St, San Francisco

Intermediate Tai Chi @ 10:15am Tai chi classes for intermediate practitioners Davis Arts Center, 1919 F Street, Davis. tina�tness68 @gmail.com

Downtown First Thursdays | Feb. 5, 2026 @ 5pm Downtown SF's FREE massive monthly street party! DJs, dancing, drag, and all ages fun every �rst Thursday of the month. DOWN‐TOWN FIRST THURSDAYS 2nd Street, San Francisco. maro@in tothestreetssf.com, 415-226-9289

The Dozen Trivia: Big Game Classic V - San Francisco @ 6pm

Davis Senior HS Symphony Orchestra presents: Amer‐ica, Happy 250th Birthday! @ 11am / $10-$15 Davis Senior High School Sym‐phony Orchestra Presents the story of “An American Dream, Commemorating 250 Years of In‐dependence,” Kids Family Con‐cert. Richard Brunelle Performance Hall, 315 West 14th Street, Davis. amoreno@djusd.net, 530-4007614

Manuel Fernando Rios: When They Reminisce Over You @ 11:30am Feb 7th - Mar 29th View a new exhibit at the Pence featuring art by Manuel Fernando Rios! Pence Gallery, 212 D Street, Davis. pencesocialmedia@ gmail.com, 530-758-3370

Moving Through Menopause: Strength, Elasticity, and Ease with Dr. Karah Charette, DPT @ 12:15pm / Free As we move through the menopause transition, our bodies ask for new ways of listening and tending. Hormonal shifts can affect the elasticity of our tissues - from the pelvic �oor to the tendons ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell Street, San Francisco. boxof�ce@ odc.dance, 415-549-8534 Valentine's Tantra Speed Date® - Reno! (Meet Singles Speed Dating) @ 6pm / $45-$140 Join the speed dating revolution with a 94% connection rate! Meet singles